


The Progenies

by LeeRice01



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Multi, Next Generation, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 61,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28942533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeRice01/pseuds/LeeRice01
Summary: The young muggleborn Diane Lou Albury gets her Hogwarts letter at last, Starting her first year at Hogwarts in the year 2018.Throughout her years at Hogwarts she meets peculiar people and makes the greatest friends, but are all who they seem to be?also on Wattpad: LeeRice01started: December 5th 2020ended: February 6th 2021
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. A whole new world

## A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Diane Lou Albury drowsily opened her eyes upon being shook slightly in the backseat of her parents car. She looked up and quickly recognised the bright face of her mother who'd put on a sweet smile and was lightly shaking her shoulder.

'We're here sweetie.' She said as she guided a still sleepy Diane out of the car. She saw her step-father unloading a big brown coloured suitcase and a wrapped package adorned with a simple golden bow from the boot. 

'You sure you've got everything that letter mentioned?' He said as he weighted the suitcase in his hands. 'Feels rather light if you ask me.' Diane chuckled and took the suitcase in her hand after her step-dad put it down. 'Yes David, I'm sure.' She said smiling. Her mother took Diane's shoulders in her hands and slowly turned her around so she could face her. 

'We bought a little beginning-of-term present for you.' She said with her signature soft smile still plastered on her face. 'Mum, you really didn't have to do that.' Diane worriedly said. 

Despite her young age she knew full well that her parents were rather impoverished. they already spent a good deal of money on the school supplies she needed, though Diane couldn't really estimate exactly how much. They had to exchange their pounds and pennies for pieces called galleons, sickles and knuts. She still had to learn how to work with the new value attached to these gold and silver coins.

Her parents were muggles you see. They were all quite surprised when their daughter received a letter by owl addressed to 'Diane Lou Albury, left room in the attic'. Luckily the letter explained everything in detail. From the existence of wizards and witches to where they needed to be for what supplies and how to get there. 

Within a week of receiving this news her mum, step-dad and Diane went to a quaint and charming passage called 'Diagon Alley'. Diane couldn't stop talking about every little magical thing she saw, she'd run from shop to shop examining it's articles and goods as well as the interior and shopkeepers themselves. 

Her parents on the other hand were quite the opposite. They walked stiffly side by side, their eyes wide and mouths clenched tight. They seemed to be in some sort of daze, not knowing if what they were seeing was real life or just a dream they collectively shared. 

Diane's step-dad David approached her with the wrapped parcel, holding it out for her to take over. 'Go on, I think you'll love it.' He said as Diane skeptically took the large box from his hands. She placed it on the ground before starting to unwrap it. 

Underneath all the purple wrapping paper was a big brown box that resembled an abnormally large shoe box. Diane looked up at her parents before opening the package. They were both grinning broadly whilst looking at her, David's arm wrapped around her mothers shoulder and their expressions full of anticipation. 

When Diane opened the box at last she saw a dark brown bag. The outside was a leathery fabric and it had two small pockets at the front, two clasps attached to it to open and close the bag. On closer inspection she noticed small gold lettering on the back of the schoolbag stating her initials 'D.L.A'. 

She picked up the bag by the long strap attached to it and hoisted it over her shoulder. 'What do you think?' Her mom asked after a minute of silence. 'I love it.' Diane answered, going up to her parents and enfolding them in a tight hug. 

'I'm going to miss you so much.' Her mom said, tears starting to form in her soft brown eyes. 'It's okay mom, we can write letters to each other right?'. Her mom nodded while wiping away some tears that had escaped with her sleeve. 

'I still don't understand why they won't just let you call or text us.' David stated while comforting her mother. The letter clearly stated that cellphones were allowed inside school grounds but they would not be able to call, text or do anything that used wifi. Which meant she could contact no one who lived outside of the castle. 'Letters will have to do then.' David added after pondering over his own question for a while. 

Diane hugged them once again and ran into King's Cross station without looking back. She loved her mother and step-dad very much but was exceptionally thrilled to finally be starting her own life and finding out her own interests and talents. 

When she reached platform 9 she looked down at the letter for the 5th time, not sure what they meant with '3. walk through the barrier dividing platform nine and ten.' She eagerly looked around for any sign of magic-looking people, not that she knew how they were supposed to look, and spotted five redheads bickering among themselves while approaching the barrier.

Diane was astonished as she saw the tallest of the gingers kiss a dark skinned woman goodbye and proceeded to walk through the barrier and disappear into thin air, followed closely by the other individuals. 

Diane took a couple of steps to her right to look at the backside of the barrier, but there was nothing to be seen except for a normal looking newspaper stand. She looked around aimlessly for a while before deciding to ask the woman who had been with the now vanished company. 

'Excuse me ma'am, could you uhm- perhaps tell me how to- uhm-...' Diane pointed at the barrier after failing miserably to find the right words to describe what she had just witnessed. 'Oh sure luv! It's easy really, you just have to walk through. That's basically it.' Diane looked at the woman's face for while, trying to figure out if she was joking or not. 'I just... walk... through it...' she said while turning to face the solid barrier. 

The woman placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice. 'I was scared my first time too, you know. Try closing your eyes and running through it, that helped me anyway.' Diane turned around again and saw the woman softly smiling at her. 

'What's your name luv?' She asked. 'Diane Lou Albury, miss. Did you know those people who went through just now?' She asked as her curiosity got the better of her. 'Yes, They're my family. The tallest one was George, my husband. And the girl with the brown curly hair was my daughter, Roxanne. She's starting her fist year too actually.' 

Diane slowly nodded and fixed her eyes once again on the stone wall. 'Go on luv, it'll be alright.' The kind woman assured her. Diane took a deep breath and tightly clasped her suitcase before closing her eyes and running towards the barrier. 

Diane didn't have the courage to open her eyes until she heard a high pitched whistle sound. Her eyes fluttered open and she was immediately engulfed in a waft of light grey smoke. After coughing and waving away the fumes that were floating in front of her face she could make out the shapes of quantities of people, either hugging or waving their children goodbye. Her eyes went wide as she saw a large red train, steam rising up from its front. 

As the conductor blew his whistle for a second time Diane realised she best get on the train before it left without her. She hoisted herself and her suitcase up onto the steps of the train and looked out of the window of the entrance-and-exit door as it slowly took off. 

She unhurriedly made her way past all the filled compartments. Seeing older students with their wands out casting innocent spells in some and young shy students in others. 

She stopped in front of one of the sections as she saw two blonde haired boys who looked exactly the same and one brown haired girl comparing their pets. When she slid open the compartment door the three of them snapped their heads up to look at who'd interrupted their 'who's got the best pet' comparing match. 

One of the twin boys smiled widely at her as she searched for the right words. 'Uhm- Hi! Can I sit with you guys? I really like your pets!' She blurted out. 'Yeah sure, the more the merrier right!' The brown haired girl said. 

Diane decided to sit next to her and the moment she did so, a black cat with bright yellow eyes jumped up on her lap and curled itself into a small ball. 'Seems like Calcifer likes you already.' The twin with the wide smile said. 'I'm Lorcan by the way, Lorcan Scamander.' he quickly added. 'I'm Lysander Scamander. his twin, if you hadn't noticed.' The other blonde boy said with a lob sided smile. 'I'm Saoirse Finnigan-Thomas. It's nice to meet you!' Said the girl next to her in a thick Irish accent. They were all expectantly looking her way now. 'Oh- I'm Diane Albury. Nice to meet all of you.' 

She sat stroking the purring black cat as the three students continued their conversation about their pets. 'But look how sweet Calcifer is! And he's pretty too!'. Lorcan yelped. 'He may be sweet Lorcan, but my Gex is definitely the prettiest!' Saoirse squealed as she practically shoved the leopard gecko in his face. 'Look at her spots and colours!'. The poor tiny creature stared at Lorcan with its large eyes. 

'You shouldn't care about the appearance. It's the brains that count.' Lysander simply stated, pointing at a large cage that sat next to him. 'Bartholomew's the smartest great horned owl the breeder had, he told me himself.' Lorcan and Saoirse snickered loudly before bursting into a laughing fit. 'What?' Lysander asked, slightly worried. 

'Mate, who names their pet something as comical as Bartholomew.' Lorcan said in between chuckles. 'I'm just going to keep calling him Bart anyway.' Saoirse cried. The two burst out in a renewed fit of giggles. Diane couldn't help but smile widely at them. 

'They always do this.' Lysander said as he faced her. 'I'm sorry.' Diane said, trying to cover her wide grin. 'It's okay, I don't really care at this point.' he stated. 'And I'm kind of starting to like the name Bart, but don't tell them that.' he whispered while smiling and glancing over at his brother and Saoirse.


	2. Hogwarts Castle

## HOGWARTS CASTLE

The four youngsters had been on the train for a good while at this point, continuing to talk about their pets and other favourite magical creatures. When the sweets trolley passed by their compartment, Diane was oddly gazing at the wide variety of candy. She could see star shaped boxes with frogs illustrated on them, small tic-tac like cartons which contained beans in every colour imaginable, and so much more.

'Anything from the trolley dears?' The elderly lady asked. The teens around her all started asking for very strange named products. 'Pepper imps for me please!' yelped Saoirse. To which Lysander politely added. 'Could we also have three chocolate frogs please?'. 

The young boy handed some silver looking coins to the older lady before she handed them their confectionary and gently pushed the trolley over to the next compartment, once again greeting some other students with 'Anything from the trolley dears?'. 

Lysander handed Saoirse her so called pepper imps and proceeded to hand out two of the chocolate frogs to both Lorcan and Diane. She accepted the sweet with a soft spoken thank you and proceeded to study the box before opening it. 

'It's not gonna bite, you know.' Lysander affirmed. Diane looked up from the blue box to see Lorcan's brown chocolate frog jump out of the carton, nearly landing on the dusty ground of their compartment, before he quickly grabbed it by its hind legs and proceeded to take a bite out of it.

She couldn't believer her eyes and kept staring wide eyed and terrified at a very content Lorcan. 'Wha'?' He asked with a mouth full of chocolate. 'Did-did you just eat a- a live frog?' She asked still shaken. 

'Wait, have you never seen a chocolate frog before Diane?' Saoirse asked with a hint of worry in her voice. 'Not at all, I've only discovered magic and everything that comes with it about a month or so ago.' The three children all looked at her perplexed. 'So your parents are muggles, then? Not that there's anything wrong with that of course!' Lorcan said. 'Wha-what are muggles?' Diane asked him in return. 'Oh boy, we've got a lot to teach you.' Lysander chuckled. 

The three youngsters spent the rest of the train ride giving Diane an entire lecture about everything magic. From the sweets to a sport called quidditch to the history of Hogwarts castle itself. They thought she might like to know at least a bit more about the place she would be calling home for the next seven years. Diane was still processing all the information they just flung at her when the train came to a screeching halt and blared its horn. 

The four of them stepped out onto the platform and followed the mass of young students moving towards an extremely tall, brown haired and bearded man. 'firs' years, follow me!' he bellowed. The first year students divided into pairs of twos by themselves and followed the towering figure. 

'So, how've you been liking our magical world so far?' Saoirse sarcastically asked a still astonished Diane. 'I like it a lot actually.' She smiled. 'I grew up with all kinds of fairytales about dragons and other magical creatures, always wishing I could live in a universe where they were real. Only to find out that, in fact, they are very real in my own universe.' She added while looking around at the trees surrounding them, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creatures the teens had discussed on the Hogwarts Express.

'I sometimes wish I could experience everything the way you're experiencing it. My dads are both wizards you see, so I grew up with all this stuff. It's just the plain old regular to me.' Diane turned her attention back to the short girl. 'You're gonna be a great teacher to me though, I need someone like you to guide me.' She said in the hopes of cheering Saoirse up a bit, which it clearly did. Her eyes lit up and a wide smile appeared on her face before she hooked her arm through Diane's. 'I think we're gonna be great friends, you and I.' They both chuckled and proceeded down the muddy path the giant was making them follow. 

'We're 'ere! O', ya lot can call me Hagrid by th' way.' The tall man called out after they'd been trudging through the mud for about half an hour. Before them, a fleet of small boats were floating alongside a wooden dock. 

Several groups of students were already wandering over to the small boats as to lay claim on them, which Diane thought was really funny. After Hagrid was done separating the mass into smaller groups, Diane found herself boarding a wooden boat with her train company. 

As the vessels magically unknotted themselves from the dock and set of onto the vast black lake, Diane looked around amazed. She felt like every time she blinked she would miss something else magical happening. 

She tilted her head up towards the night sky and took in the gorgeous clear view, admiring the twinkling of the stars and the owls that passed over the lake towards the castle every now and again. she felt like she could stare at this sight for hours, until her gaze was torn away from the dark blue sky towards the massive castle now standing in front of them. 

It looked ancient yet beautiful, unkempt yet intriguing and magical. Diane had never felt so many emotions at once. She felt like she'd finally come home, but was very intimidated by its towering presence all the same. She had an inkling that she wasn't the only one feeling this way, as she looked around at her friends they all had the same perplexed expression on their faces. 

'Our parents told us what Hogwarts looked like, but I'd never expected it to be this... this enormous.' Lorcan said, still gazing at the fortress with his mouth slightly gaping. 'Just...just wow.' Lysander said as his eyes twinkled with excitement and a wide grin grew on his face. The four of them looked at each other and started smiling so wide Diane's cheeks started hurting. 

They'd all made their way up the small steps engraved from the stones the castle was standing on. Their eyes wide from amazement, they entered the huge castle and were immediately greeted by a snug and welcoming environment. The walls were adorned with flickering torches that radiated a warm and yellowish light. 

As the mass of first year students sheepishly continued down the hall, a stern woman came into view. She looked a bit scary at first but the small smile her lips displayed as they got closer immediately made Diane feel comfortable and welcomed. 

'My name is professor McGonagall, I'm the headmistress of this institution. It's lovely to finally see all your faces.' She said as she looked over every student standing before her. She took a few steps to the side and motioned towards the two huge doors towering behind her, the moment she did so they started slowly opening and revealing the room behind.

'Welcome, to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and wizardry.'


	3. The sorting ceremony

## THE SORTING CEREMONY

The first years started timidly shuffling towards the forefront of the great hall. Some doing their uttermost best to gain the attention of older students, others practically hiding under their own clothes to avoid the judging eyes of the sitting adolescents.

Out of the corner of her eye Diane could see Saoirse frantically waving towards a collection of redheads all wearing scarlet ties and black cloaks with a vibrant red lining. Their smiles reached up to their eyes as they excitedly waved back. 'The Weasleys.' Saoirse whispered in Diane's direction while grinning widely. Before Diane could question what a Weasley even was, the hall fell quiet and an extremely worn-down brown hat sitting on a small wooden chair started chanting. 

After its performance ended, Diane turned around to look at the four lengthy tables containing the elder students. She could now distinguish the colours and the houses attached to them. 

On the far right of the hall sat Slytherin, they were supposed to be resource-full, determined and ambitious. At the centre right table sat the Ravenclaws, who are intelligent, creative and witty. The centre left table held the house of Gryffindor, who are thought to be extremely courageous, brave and chivalrous. Lastly was the house of Hufflepuff, who are expected to be Loyal, patient and just. 

Diane could not decide what house suited her best. She considered she was exceptionally brave for leaving her mundane way of life behind and starting a whole new life in a world she knew nothing about. although she'd been a patient person all her life as well. She did not particularly think of herself as an intelligent individual, but she did have to admit she could be creative if she wanted to. Nevertheless she could also see herself being ambitious, as long as she did something she loved.

The headmistress started calling students forward. One by one they sat on the small wooden chair and placed the sorting hat on their heads while it called out the name of the house that fit them best. 

'Diane Lou Albury.' Professor McGonagall called out, her last name starting with 'a' was not a blessing at all. Diane shyly approached the chair and took a seat as the professor placed the hat down. upon making contact with her head it started speaking, Diane wondered wether she was the only one who could hear him. 

'Hmmm, what have we here... Creative, but not unusually intelligent.... Loyal, but not modest... Brave, yet not too courageous... Oh, yes of course! SLYTHERIN!' It cried out. A few cheers sounded from the table that housed students clad in black and green. 

Diane leaped of the stool and quickly made her way over to an empty spot at the far end of the table, where she sat watching her fellow first-years being sorted into their respective houses. 

Not long after her, Saoirse was called onto the platform that housed the wooden stool and the talkative hat. It seemed to consider for a few seconds before its cry sounded across the great hall again. 'HUFFLEPUFF!' Diane lightly clapped for her friend, feeling slightly disappointed that they weren't sorted into the same house.

After gazing at the ceremony for a couple minutes more, a second first-year was finally sorted into Slytherin. The brown skinned boy leaped of the stool the same way Diane had done and took place opposite her, smiling broadly and immediately starting to ramble. 

'Wow, I don't know what my parents'll even say when they find out! I mean they'll be proud of me no matter what, but we've never had a Slytherin in the family! Oh I can't wait to tell my uncle, and my nephew. I feel rather happy to be sorted into Slytherin. I should feel happy about this right? What do you think?' 

Diane stayed silent for a good while, trying to process all the boy'd just said while he kept staring at her, waiting for an answer. 'Yeah I guess so.' She finally responded. 'Good, what's your name anyway?' He quickly asked. 'Diane Albury.' She said as she took his outstretched hand and shook it. 'I'm Lloyd, Lloyd Jordan.'

Diane was able to turn her attention to the sorting ceremony just in time to see the first twins name being called. Lorcan smilingly took his seat and the hat hadn't even properly touched the boy's head before it called out 'HUFFLEPUFF!'. 

Shortly after that Lysander took his seat and after a thorough consideration the hat yelled out 'RAVENCLAW!'. It wasn't long before there were no more students left to be sorted. The hat and stool were removed from the platform and the headmistress loudly cleared her throat as to get the attention of the many youngsters bickering amongst themselves.

'Welcome everyone to a new spectacular year at Hogwarts! Before the feast begins I'd like to say a few words. To all first years, I hope you all get accustomed to our way of living swiftly. To the other students, welcome back! Please remember that the forbidden forest is strictly off limits for all students. Now, let the feast begin!' Professor McGonagall raised her ams and suddenly the tables were filled with all kinds of food and refreshments. 

Diane was astonished for the millionth time today. Seeing hot steamy Sheppard's pie, roasted chicken, lamb chops and so much more where an empty wooden tabletop had been only seconds before. 

Opposite her, Lloyd didn't hesitate a second to dig in. He started piling different meats and potatoes on his plate, looking over the other food at the same time which caused some potatoes to slide of his plate and back into their designated bowl. Diane couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she excitedly scooped some of her favourite food onto her own plate. 

During the banquet Lloyd and Diane made some more conversation. Talking about their families and other focal subjects. 'Have you met anyone else from our year yet?' Lloyd asked after gulping down some potatoes. 'Yeah, I met some nice people on the train. Twins called Lorcan and Lysander and a friendly girl named Saoirse.' She said. 'Oh, the Scamander twins and Finnigan-Thomas. I've known them for years now, thanks to our parents. They're really fun though!' Lloyd stated while trying to pick one desert out of the million options presented. 

'How do your parents all know each other?' Diane asked after noticing that everyone seemed to already know each other around here. 'They all went to Hogwarts together. Saoirses dads and the twins mum were really good friends, my parents knew them well too but they were a bit older.' He said rather quickly, as if he'd have to explain this a thousand times already. Diane nodded as she decided to let the boy finish his meal and ask questions later. 

When the frantic food-piling of the famished students had finally stilled, an older boy and girl got up from their table and started gathering the first-year Slytherins. 'First years, follow us!' The girl called out. 

Diane quickly noticed a shiny green badge fastened on the girls robes that read 'Prefect'. The students at the far end of the table collectively got up and trailed behind the tall girl and blonde boy. 

The girl had a nose piercing, pale skin and red hair that brought out her piercing blue eyes. The boy on the other hand had light blonde hair, tan skin and eyes so dark they seemed almost black. The two were distinct opposites, yet they appeared to make an astounding team. 

Together they led the First year Slytherins to a wide and seemingly bottomless room that housed hundreds of staircases. Diane was once again left standing wide eyes as every few minutes, the stairwells would rotate and switch positions. 

'You look rather pale there birdie, everything okay?' The tall girl said as she slightly bent down to talk to Diane. 'Uh-Y-yeah I'm okay, I've just never seen anything like this.' Diane softly spoke. The girl started chuckling and tousled Dianes hair a bit. 'You'll get used to it birdie. Oh, and feel free to come to me whenever you need help yeah? I'm a prefect you see, I'm here to help you under any circumstances. My name's Chiharu, but you can call me Haru. The lanky guy over there is David. ' She shot Diane a quick smile and returned to her partners side. 

'Alright first years, our common room is in the dungeons. Why they still haven't gotten us out of that eerie place, you ask? Well, you'll have to take that up to professor Zabini. I've been trying for years but-'

His speech was cut off as Haru gave the boy an angry jab in the chest. 'Alright, alright sorry! Anyway watch out for the stairs, cause they move around like you can clearly see here.' He pointed to a pair of stairs leading upwards that was now switching positions. 'We'll be leading you to our common room this evening, be sure to pay attention so you don't get lost when you have to do it by yourself.' He added as he turned his back towards them and the pair started leading them downstairs. 

'Man we've been going down forever!' Lloyd panted next to Diane as they were descending their fifth, or was it tenth, staircase. Finally they reached a dark hallway that Diane assumed could only be the way to the dungeons. 

'We're here guys! Now all you have to do to get in, is reveal your deepest darkest secret and voila!'. The mass of first-year students stared at the prefect boy with an expression of utmost horror. Haru cast another irritated look at her counterpart that made his cheeky grin falter slightly. 'I'm only joking of course, you just have to say the password.' he said looking slightly guilty. 

'The password changes every fortnight, It'll always be up on the notice board in the common room. These first two weeks it's agapanthus.' As Haru said this, the door to the common room creaked open.

Diane followed the group of murmuring first years inside and was greeted by the cozy yet dark interior of their common room. There were multiple leathery dark green sofas and armchairs scattered randomly throughout the room, decorated with silvery and greyish pillows and blankets. 

At the far end of the room a huge fireplace could be heard crackling, which gave the dark room a rather warm and snug feeling. But Diane's favourite commodity in this space had to be the huge windows that looked out into the black lake and engulfed the room in some sort of green hue. 

Lloyd and Diane were silently gazing out into the vastness of the lake when a scary looking pinkish creature with tentacles sped past the window, startling the two teens. 'Blimey, what was that?' Lloyd said as he stood up from the sofa he'd stumbled into. 'I have absolutely no idea, looked like an octopus or something.' Diane said as she neared the window, placing her hands upon the glass as to get a better look. But nothing was to be seen anymore except for the dark water and the occasional fish passing by. 

Lloyd and Diane sat chatting in one of the sofa's when two boys came up to the pair. One being rather tall with platinum hair, the other a bit shorter sporting black hair. 

'Lloyd! I never could've guessed you'd be a Slytherin. Figured you'd be a Gryffindor like your parents.' The black haired boy said as he shook Lloyd's hand. 'Well everyone thought the same about you too, didn't they?' He grinned back at the boy. They both chuckled for a while before the unknown boy noticed Diane. 

'Oh, hi! I'm Albus.' He said as he reached out his hand towards her. 'Diane.' She sweetly smiled back while shaking hands. 'And this is Scorpius.' Albus said as he motioned to the boy behind him. He shyly waved at her before the boys said their goodbyes and went up to their dorm room. 

'Let me guess, your parents went to school together?' Diane said as she shot a sly smile towards Lloyd. 'You got that right.' He said as he smiled back.


	4. The portrait

## THE PORTRAIT

Diane was unpacking her suitcase in her dorm room. She'd already had the pleasure of meeting one of her roommates who was now laying down on her bed, reading a book that Diane could swear had moving pictures on the cover. Her name was Leanne and she was an exchange student from a Wizarding school called Ilvermorny located in America. Diane wanted to know more about the girl but she was rather quiet and shy, so she decided to leave her by herself for now. 

As she was placing a framed picture of her parents on her nightstand, two giggling girls entered the chamber. 'Hi! I'm Avery, and this is Evelyn.' One of the two yelped while pointing to her friend. 'Looks like we'll be roomies!' The other chimed in.

Diane hadn't even time to vocalise her own name before the girls strolled over to their beds and started gossiping loudly about some older Slytherin boys they'd caught a glimpse of. Leanne looked over at Diane and started chuckling lightly, shooting her an apologetic look. Diane did her best to hide her own laugh as she proceeded unpacking.

Not even seconds later the door swung open again and an exhilarated Lloyd came bursting in their room, to which Evelyn and Avery shrieked loudly. 'Oh, I'm sorry ladies.' He said with a cheeky grin. 'Diane could you come to the common room real quick?' He asked before leaving their room. 

Diane waved goodbye too Leanne before making her way down. She was confused upon seeing dozens of students Hurrying out of the room. She hadn't even properly made her into the common room when Lloyd grabbed her hand and hauled her out of the room, trailing the other students. 

'What are you doing? We can't be out, it's already after curfew!' Diane tried reasoning while trailing after Lloyd who was climbing the stairs two steps at a time. 'Don't worry, I'll explain when we're there.' He panted. 'And where is there?' She asked getting slightly annoyed. 'You'll find out soon enough, Albury.' He stated without even slowing down or looking at her.

A good fifteen minutes later the two had reached a landing that was bustling with students from every house. 'Can you explain what's going on now?' Diane asked as she eyed the students, some were laughing amongst themselves, others were crying and consoling each other. 

'My sister Vivian, who's a third year, told me about this tradition the students had. Basically at every first day of a new school year the students come up to this room after curfew, I'm not going to explain what's in there you'll see for yourself.' Lloyd started towards the door of the room but Diane stopped him. 

'What if a teacher finds us?' She worriedly asked. 'I think the staff already know that this is happening, it's been a tradition for about fifteen years after all. Besides, what are they gonna do? Put the whole school in detention?' He said while laughing. 

Diane followed Lloyd towards the door of the room, feeling slightly nervous about not knowing what was behind it. When he opened it however, the large room was packed with students. Some chatting with one another, others facing a huge painting that took up all the space on the furthest wall. 

'Alright I have to go talk to someone, see you later.' Lloyd said as he made his way over to the other side of the room. She could see him waving to someone in the portrait. As he did, a tall boy with vibrant ginger hair approached him from inside the canvas. Looking over at the top left corner of the painting she could see the inscription 'The heroes of the second wizarding war.' 

Diane started to approach the painting when in the corner of her eye she saw a girl tucked away in a nook of the room, crying. She felt a wave of sympathy hit her and decided to approach the girl. 'Hey, are you alright?' Diane asked as she placed a comforting hand on the girls shoulder, who was slightly taller than her and had the most gorgeous brown curly hair. 

The girl quickly wiped away the tears on her cheeks with her sleeve and turned to Diane. 'Uh-uhm yeah, I'm alright it's nothing.' She said a little too quickly. 'It's okay, you can trust me. My name's Diane, what's yours?' Diane tried asking as a soft smile grew on the girls face. 'Roxanne Weasley.' She said as she looked down at her feet. 

'No ones ever seen me cry before, I'm sorry you had to see that.' Roxanne said while uncomfortably picking at her fingers. 'Don't be sorry! it's okay to cry, you know. If you want to talk about it, I'm here.' Diane said in the most comforting voice she could muster. 

'It's just, I'm supposed to go talk to my uncle in the painting. He died during the second wizarding war. I just have no idea what to say.' Roxanne sniffled as she finally brought her gaze up to look at Diane. 'I'll go with you if that makes you feel better?' Diane offered. 'I'd like that a lot, thank you.' Roxanne smiled as the two left the small nook and wandered towards the enormous painting.

Diane trailed behind the girl as they approached Lloyd who was excitedly explaining something to the laughing ginger in the portrait. Roxanne lightly tapped Lloyd on the shoulder to which he turned around and immediately took her hand in his and pulled her up closer to the canvas. 'This is Roxanne Weasley! You brothers daughter!' He exclaimed. 'Hi uncle Fred.' Roxanne sheepishly said. 

'I've heard so much about you, Roxanne!' The redhead said. 'Tell me, does your dad still have one ear?' He curiously asked. 'Yup, always has and always will.' Roxanne answered. 'Wicked, that means I'm still the better looking twin doesn't it.' He stated as Lloyd and Roxanne chuckled. 

'So, what's the deal with you two? Already holding hands I see.' Fred said as a cheeky grin grew on his face. The two youngsters quickly untangled their hands. 'Nothing!' Roxanne practically shouted. 'Do me a favour and get together, yeah? It would make George and Lee lose their minds.' Fred chuckled. 'Oh how I'd love to see that.' He added. There was an emotional silence between the three as the ginger looked up and noticed Diane. 

'And who may you be?' he asked. Lloyd pulled her forward and started rambling once again. 'This is our new friend Diane Lou Albury. She's a first year Slytherin just like me! She's also Muggle-Born so we still have a lot to teach her about our world.' he said as he shot Diane a quick smile which she returned. 'That's great, I hope you all have a fun time around here. Don't forget to break some rules okay?' Fred teased before they said their goodbyes and retreated from the room.

Lloyd and Diane hugged Roxanne tightly before withdrawing to their common room. They stayed silent the whole walk back, the air thick from the emotional tension. Reaching the dungeons rather quickly, the two teens took a seat in one of the sofas. 

'So, do you and Roxanne know each other well?' Diane carefully asked, not knowing if Lloyd was fine with talking about it. 'Oh yeah, we've been best friends since we were born.' He said while smiling broadly. 

'My dad, hers and uncle Fred were best friends back when they studied at Hogwarts, were in the same year and house and everything. Sadly uncle Fred was killed during the war so we've never actually got to meet him, but from the stories they told us he was a very charming and funny guy. Liked doing pranks with his brother and my dad and stuff.' He finished while looking down at his hands. 

'How long ago was the war? If you don't mind me asking.' Diane asked. 'It's been about 20 years now.' He answered. 'I'm sorry.' Diane offered quietly. 'Oh no, don't be! Besides, the people who lost their lives are still honoured to this day as you saw. They even live through us a bit. Roxanne's older brother was named after Uncle Fred and my middle name is also Frederick. Oh and Saoirse's middle name is Lavender, also the name of one of our parents friends who lost their life during the war.' Lloyd said, again with his signature broad smile. 

'Anymore family facts and secrets you can let me in on?' Diane chuckled. 'Hmm, one thing you should know is there's about a dozen Weasley's in this school. So that can become a bit confusing from time to time. Oh and the boys we met earlier this evening, Albus and Scorpius. Remember them? Well their dads were in the same year at Hogwarts and used to be rivals, but everyone thinks they secretly had crushes on one another. Anyway, last year they actually temporarily brought back the Dark Lord. You know, the one that caused the war. But yeah, that's all in the past now.' He quickly worded.

Diane again had to take some time to process all this information. Before she could ask follow up questions however, Lloyd gave her a pat on the head and stood up from the sofa. 'I'm gonna go to sleep. See you in the morning!' Diane was left siting alone in the sofa perplexed. Lloyd was a very strange boy indeed, but she liked him nonetheless.


	5. The very first day

## THE VERY FIRST DAY

That night, Diane had stayed up late. Discussing the course of the day with Leanne, who was as new to Hogwarts as she was. Even though the girl had grown up in a fairly magical household, her parents had made sure she grew up like an ordinary muggle child. Diane felt comfortable sharing her questions and demands with the girl. 

The two had fallen asleep on Leanne's bed, sharing Diane's earphones to listen to music. Aside from listening to downloaded tunes, there wasn't much use to her phone anymore. There was no reception and no wifi anywhere in or around the castle. Many of the students didn't even bother bringing their phones to Hogwarts anymore, as the use of them was prohibited during classes and in the great hall. 

Diane woke up as she saw the green hue shining through their small windows grow brighter. She quickly changed into her green-lined robes and silently fought with her striped tie before running out of the dungeons. 

She didn't feel like waiting for Lloyd to awaken and figured she'd just meet him at breakfast. 

As she neared the Great hall she smelled the scent of strong coffee mixed with chocolate milk and pancakes. At the Slytherin table not a soul was to be seen. But as she pulled her gaze up to the other tables she could see Lorcan and Saoirse having a cheerful conversation at the almost empty Hufflepuff table. 

'Goodmorning.' Diane smiled as she took a seat next to Saoirse. The girl snapped her head in her direction and embraced Diane in a tight hug. 'I missed you already!' She squeaked. Diane chuckled as she shot a grinning Lorcan a quick smile. 

As Diane got settled, a sheet of parchment flew from the teachers table towards theirs. Landing on the plate sitting before Diane. 'Class schedule - Diane Lou Albury - 1st year' The paper read. 

At that same moment Roxanne and Lloyd entered the great hall, followed closely by Lysander and another first year Ravenclaw boy. 

The two boys settled in the free spots next to Lorcan and Diane. Meanwhile Roxanne walked over to the two girl and hugged them tightly. 

'Saoirse, I see you've already met Diane.' Roxanne said as she took the spot next to Lloyd. 'Oh yeah, we met back on the express. She's great isn't she!' Saoirse yelped. 

Diane couldn't help but blush lightly as everyone piled their favourite breakfast foods onto their plates. Seconds later their schedules also flying from the large table at the front of the hall onto their plates. Sadly for Lloyd, his schedule landed directly into his bowl of cereal. Earning a few snorts from Roxanne. 

Diane was delighted by the spontaneous conversation between all her friends. She'd always dreaded meeting new people, fearing it was going to be awkward. Or that she somehow would embarrass herself and end up friendless for the next seven years. 

Then again, all the people seated around her had already known each other for years thanks to their parents. A tight knot started forming in her stomach as she began questioning wether they'd ever fully accept her into their friend group. 

The Slytherin was pulled out of her toxic train of thought as Saoirse rested her head on Diane's shoulder, closing her eyes while still chewing on a piece of toast. 'I'm so excited for classes to start but I'm so tired!' She exclaimed. 

'Looks like we've got some classes together.' Lysander stated, not taking his eyes of the piece of parchment. 'Diane, we've got all classes together.' Lloyd said. 'yeah, Saoirse and I do as well.' Lorcan said. 

'Oh, we've got potions together Diane!' Saoirse happily stated as she picked her head back up from Diane's shoulder and read over her own schedule. 'I've got Herbology with the Slytherins.' Roxanne said as she looked over at Lloyd and Diane. 

'Looks like the only class we've all got together is Astronomy. Every Wednesday at midnight.' Lysander said, finally done thoroughly examining his schedule. 

They finished their breakfasts after which Lloyd and Diane made their way over to their very first class of the year. Today was a fairly calm day. 

They had one hour of charms, one hour of Herbology, two hours of potions and two hours of defence against the dark arts. Diane didn't know what half of these names meant, but she figured she'd find out soon enough. 

The two Slytherins took place on the highest bench on the right of the charms classroom. At the front a small man with a long beard was standing on a large pile of books, eyeing the students as they entered the room. 

'Welcome first years, to your first Charms lesson. My name is professor Flitwick and I will be your teacher for the following seven years, if I haven't gone into retirement by then that is.' he chuckled lightly.

'Now then, you may all take out your wands please. We'll get started on your first spell, The levitation charm.' 

The rest of the class went fairly smooth. Diane was able to lift her grey feather on the third try. Lloyd on the other hand, still hadn't mastered the charm when the class was at its end. Diane promised to help him before the next charms class came around, where they would further excercise the incantation and movement. 

On their way to Herbology Roxanne joined them in the hallway, as the three of them had this class together. Upon entering the room, Diane took place behind a large table filled with all kinds of magical plants. They were quite a bit too early and the teacher himself hadn't even arrived yet. 

'Aah, Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Jordan. What a pleasure to finally have you two in my class.' A tall man with a kind face stated in a very serious tone as he entered the classroom and put down his bag. The two youngsters shared a quick look before bursting out in laughter. 

Roxanne walked up to him and gave him a quick hug, Lloyd following behind and shaking the mans hand. 'It's going to be so weird calling you Mr. Longbottom instead of uncle Neville.' Roxanne said. 'You don't always have to. Maybe only in front of other students, so they'll at least take me serious.' he said while smiling widely at the teens. 

'Oh, this is our new friend Diane Albury!' Roxanne quickly said as she pointed towards Diane, who gave the man a quick wave. 'Nice to meet you, Mrs. Albury.' He stated again a little too seriously. 'What do you think of my teacher voice, by the way?' He proceeded to ask the youngsters. 'Maybe tone it down just a bit.' Lloyd said laughing. 

Professor Longbottom taught the students the basics they needed to know about wormwood and let them do some experiments after, making the class very interactive and actually fun causing it to pass by quickly. 

The three of them stayed a bit longer after class to talk to the professor as they had a fifteen minute break anyway, Roxanne and Lloyd heavily complementing the man's teaching skills. 

'Another family friend?' Diane questioned as they walked the corridors to their next class. 'Yeah, He's always been best friends with Saoirse's dads and my uncle.' Roxanne explained. 'And Albus's dad.' Lloyd added. 'Oh, so you've met Albus then?' Roxanne asked. 'Yup, him and Scorpius.' Diane answered.

Roxanne said goodbye as she split of to go to another class, The Slytherins making their way towards the dungeons for their first potions lesson. When they entered Lorcan and Saoirse were already there, keeping two spots for their Slytherin friends. 

During their lecture on cures for boils Saoirse happily filled Diane in on how they knew this teacher. 'professor Zabini's first name is Blaise, he also went to school with our parents. He was in the same year as my dads and apparently a bit of an arshole. But he turned his life around and I hear he's actually a great teacher now, really good at potions. Oh, and he's the head of Slytherin House too.'

'Well, I guess we'll find out if he's a great teacher soon enough.' Diane said as she hastily wrote down all the ingredients needed for the first cure. 

Professor Zabini was quite a silent teacher. He'd give them quick instructions on what they were to do and walked around the classroom, supervising their work and occasionally giving tips on how they could improve their performances. he was strict but helpful, which Diane greatly admired. 

After class the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins made their way to the great hall for lunch. Separating once they got there and sitting at their respective tables. Once again enjoying a great meal. 

In the afternoon Lloyd and Diane had a defence against the dark arts class together with Lysander. 

Upon entering the classroom a lanky figure with blonde hair was sitting at the teachers desk, winking at Lloyd and Lysander as they entered. 

'Another teacher you guys know?' Diane asked. 'Yup.' The two boys chimed at the same time as they grinned at the professor. 

'Welcome students, My name is professor Lupin and I will be giving you defence against the dark arts classes. I propose we skip the usual first class speech and get right to it, yeah?' The rather young looking professor said. A couple of students started murmuring their approval, to which the professor smiled and flicked his wand. 

A cage slid towards the middle of the classroom and revealed a dozen of small brownish creatures inside, who were malevolently smiling up at the students.

'These little bastards are called Imps, we'll be learning a bit about their history and anatomy in the first hour and I'll teach you how to defend yourselves from them in the second. Sounds good?' Professor Lupin asked. 

All students nodded wide eyed and took their seats at the desks. Before the three could find seats however, the professor approached them with a wide smile. Frantically shaking hands with Lysander and Lloyd. 

'You guys finally made it to Hogwarts, Huh? Last time I checked, little Lloyd over here was still wearing diapers.' he teased as Lysander and Diane both chuckled. 'Very funny Teddy. Or should I say, Mr. Lupin.' Lloyd grinned. 'Call me whatever you want bud.' he laughed before the three teens took up the empty spots by the desks.

Diane was frantically taking notes on the birthplace of Imps when she looked back at Lupin. Who's hair had suddenly changed from a blond to a dark brown colour. 

'D-did his hair change colours? I could've sworn it was blonde a minute ago.' Diane whispered to Lloyd, who began chuckling quietly. 

'He's a Metamorphmagus, someone who can change appearance at will. Got it from his mum, Tonks. Luckily her genes were stronger than his dads, or we would've had a werewolf for a teacher. Which would've been pretty cool to be honest.' he explained before returning to his notebook. 

Diane was left speechless and gazed at their young teacher as he stood in front of a mirror, making his hair change colours at a rapid speed. He seemed to ultimately decide that blonde suited him best for now.

The students left their last class of the day very satisfied. Professor Lupin was gifted at making his classes extremely entertaining but still highly educational. 

Lloyd, Diane and Lysander decided to go to the library during their free time before dinner to do some homework. Once there, they were joined by Roxanne.

Lysander and Diane were organising their notes and writing their very first papers. Seated on the opposite side of the table Roxanne and Lloyd were silently conversing, their notes laid out in front of them. Diane had a feeling the two wouldn't start writing their papers any time soon. 

'How much do you want to bet that those two won't write their papers in time.' Lysander whispered, mischief written all over his face. 'Quite the gambler, are you?' Diane whispered back grinning. 'What's life without a little fun.' he said while glancing over at the two youngsters opposite them, still deeply immersed in their conversation. 

'Two galleons says they'll finish it in time.' Diane offered. 'Deal.' Lysander smiled as the two shook hands. 

'What are you two shaking hands for?' Lloyd asked, momentarily looking away from Roxanne. 'Nothing.' The two answered in unison. Lloyd slightly narrowed his eyes and went back to his conversation with the Gryffindor.

At dinner the group had to split up once again and already bid each other goodnights as they would go straight to their common rooms after. 

Diane and Lloyd quickly ate and went straight to their own dorm rooms, exhausted.

Diane lay thinking about all the magical things she'd learned today as she drifted into a peaceful sleep.


	6. The secret hideout

## THE SECRET HIDEOUT

The next day, Diane was sitting in the great hall enjoying some pancakes. Leanne, Lloyd and one of his roommates Noah had joined her and were discussing their first flying lesson. Which they would have in the afternoon. 

According to Lloyd, Roxanne was an excellent quidditch player already. The two would always practice together on their parents brooms, and seeing as both Roxanne's parents were skilled players back in their days she'd have the gift in her blood.

The first class of the day was Transfiguration. Lloyd explaining that he and the others already knew this teachers quite well once again. Not very surprisingly their parents had studied at Hogwarts together. Diane assumed that the five of them knew every professor walking the school grounds at this point. 

During their two hour class, professor Patil educated them on the basic transfiguration formula, which Lloyd mastered very quickly to her surprise. After this class, the four Slytherins made their way over to charms class. Diane assisting Lloyd with the incantation of 'Wingardium Leviosa', just like he'd assisted her with the formula back in their Transfiguration class. Diane was convinced that the two of them made a surprisingly good team. 

At lunch, the two were playing a game of 'Search the ginger ' at the request of Diane, who wanted to know just how many Weasleys were walking the school grounds. 

'Okay, what about the two gingers sitting next to Roxanne?' Diane asked as she glanced over at a laughing Roxanne, talking to a young pale ginger haired girl and a fairly handsome boy who had a strawberry blonde hair colour. 

'Guessed correct, the girl is Rose Granger-Weasley and the boy is Louis Weasley. His mum is a beauty by the way.' The boy said without even lifting his gaze from his plate, which was now filled with sausages and some sort of puree. 

'Ew Lloyd!' Diane exclaimed, to which he just chuckled loudly. 'Hmm, what about those two over there?' She said as she subtly pointed towards the end of the Gryffindor table. 

'Right again!' Lloyd said as he waved to the girls in question. 'Dominique and Lucy Weasley. Dominique is Louis's older sister. Oh, and the boy next to them with the painfully forced smirk is James Potter, Albus's older brother.' he said 

Diane's eyes scanned the Gryffindor table again, catching a glimpse of a boy who didn't sport the signature ginger hair but did have the freckles. He also looked very similar to Roxanne. 

'What about that one?' She asked. 'Oh, one of my best mates that is. Fred Weasley II, Roxanne's older brother.' Lloyd said while smiling sweetly at the boy. Diane stayed silent for a while, remembering their talk with the late Fred Weasley the other night. 'It's okay you know, it's been twenty years.' Lloyd said upon seeing Diane's concerned expression. 'I know, but still. Having learned all of this only a few days ago, I'm still trying to process.' She said as she softly smiled at Lloyd. 

'Anyway, you missed one.' He said as he pointed to a girl not far form them, seated at the Ravenclaw table. 'Molly Weasley II , Lucy's older sister.' Diane glanced at the girl for a few seconds before turning around and sighing. 'So that's all of them, right?' She cautiously asked. 

'Oh no, not at all.' Lloyd chuckled. 'There's also Victoire Weasley, who is teddy- uhm- professor Lupins girlfriend and Dominique and Louis's older sister. But she graduated last year. And then there's Hugo Weasley who's Rose's little brother and Lily potter who's Albus's and James's little sister. The two of them will both be starting at Hogwarts next year.' 

'I don't think I'm ever going to remember all that.' Diane sighed as the two got up from the table and made their way to their first flying lesson, being joined by Lorcan and Saoirse on their way. 

Once they reached the sizeable courtyard, Lysander and Roxanne were already making smalltalk with an older yellow eyed woman. Apparently they'd all be having this class together. 

The woman instructed them all to stand next to a broom and simply speak the word 'Up', while positioning their dominant hand over the broom to grab it once it actually flew up. Diane was eyeing the other students and saw Roxanne's broom fly up even before the word 'up' had fully left her mouth, earning praises from madam Hooch and her classmates. Roxanne then looked over at Diane, who'd been staring open-mouthed, and gave her a thumbs up while mouthing the words 'Go on'.

Diane looked back at her broom and took a big gulp before saying the word as clear as she could, but the broom only lifted a few centimetres from the ground before falling back down with a thud. She looked around in embarrassment, but nobody was paying any attention to her failure as the majority of students were still struggling themselves. 

She looked down once again and took a deep breath, saying the word with more confidence. this time, the broom flew directly into her hand. Making Diane flinch backwards so it wouldn't hit her face. A smile graced her lips as she looked at the broom now steadfast in her hand, earning a pat on the shoulder from Lysander. Who'd also managed to get his broom up rather quickly. 

The two looked over at their three friends, who seemed to not be making much progress. Lloyd wasn't even trying anymore and had resorted to making conversation with a fellow Slytherin instead. 

The rest of the class was spent learning the basics about flying. Saoirse and Lorcan ultimately getting their broom up but being too scared to actually set off into the air. After this very entertaining hour, Lloyd and Diane headed to their first history of magic class.

When all students were seated, a tall young man with dark brown hair, black eyes and extremely pale skin entered their class room. Picking up a piece of chalk and writing a name on the blackboard. 'That's one creepy but handsome man.' Lloyd muttered in Diane's ear.

'Welcome first year students, My name is Otis Whitelock and I will be your history of magic teacher. It's my first year teaching here, so I expect you all to be a bit patient with me alright?' He said in a cold but somewhat charming way. 

Some students nodded while others just sat there unmoving, their eyes never leaving the professor's face. 

the hour went by rather slow as Whitelock recounted the Gargoyle Strike of 1911 in extreme detail, almost like he'd actually been there to experience it.

Their free period at the end of classes was once again spent in the library. Lorcan, Saoirse, Diane and Lysander working on their papers and other homework while Roxanne and Lloyd were again engaged in a long conversation. 

That evening Leanne and Diane played a boardgame in their dormitory and both went to sleep at a late hour, much to the annoyance of their other roommates. Who apparently needed their 'Beauty sleep' that Leanne and Diane were now disturbing. 

•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+

The next day they again had Transfiguration where they continued learning the transformation formula and alphabet. After which followed a slightly boring Herbology lesson with Professor Longbottom where they learned about the different uses of Dittany.

The two hour charms class that followed after their break was spent learning and practicing the softening charm, which they'd already been introduced to in their previous class. Diane was once again quick to successfully perform 'Spongify', opposed to Lloyd. Who did slightly better than last class but still needed a lot of practice. 

After enjoying lunch at the Slytherin table, Lloyd, Diane and the Hufflepuffs made their way over to their next potions class. Where they learned to make herbicide potion under strict supervision of professor Zabini.

The four of them retreated to their respective common rooms, planning on meeting each other at the Astronomy tower at midnight for their shared Astronomy class.

Lloyd, Diane and Leanna were sat chatting in one of the sofa's in the common room, deciding to stay up until 12 pm instead of taking a short nap. Which might've been a bad idea, as they could barely keep their eyes open after a few hours and Leanne already having fallen asleep on Diane's shoulder.

The three sleepily made their way over to the highest tower a few minutes before midnight, meeting an excited Lorcan and Saoirse who were already gazing up at the night sky. The two had apparently took a refreshing nap before waking up for this class.

Roxanne and Lysander arrived shortly after, the latter explaining to Diane that the tower used to have a roof that was destroyed during the wizarding war. The teachers collectively decided to leave it this way as some sort of honour to the fallen wizards and witches.

The six of them plus Leanne sat down in a circle on the floor, which was decorated with pillows and blankets in various contrasting colours. Everyone immediately bundled themselves in blankets, Lloyd piling five of them on top of Roxanne who'd mentioned once she was sensitive to the cold. 

A dark skinned woman entered the classroom and started handing out one parchment per group. Lysander immediately taking theirs and studying the contents rigorously.

'Good night everyone, I'm professor Sinistra and I will be teaching Astronomy. Now tonight I have given you a parchment containing the names of multiple stars. It's up to you to use your astronomy textbook and the night sky to find the position of these stars.' The woman said before taking place on a large wooden chair in the middle of the space, so she could oversee the students. 

Lorcan and Lysander worked on their assignment, the two being genuinely interested in learning about the placement of the stars. 

The rest of them had tried paying attention the first few minutes, but quickly gave up. They were now all laying flat on their back, staring up at the night sky. 

'If you connect those three over there...' Roxanne said while pointing up. 'It forms a heart.' She stated smiling. 'That's a fairly hideous heart Roxy.' Lloyd said, which earned him a smack on the shoulder from Roxanne and a laugh from the rest.

'Those ones kind of look like a horse.' Diane said. The others hummed their approval. 'Or it could also be a toilet.' Leanne added. Causing them to burst out into laughter again.

'I could stay here forever.' Saoirse exclaimed. 'Me too.' Said Diane. 'So could I.' the twins said in unison. 

'Guys, what if we make this our hideout?' Lloyd proposed. 'What do you mean Hideout?' Roxanne asked confused. 

'Every cool friendgroup has their own secret lair, don't they?' Lloyd further explained while turning his gaze away from the night sky and towards the rest of the group. 'This could be like the place we hangout in the evenings. Away from everyone else, you know.' he uttered.

The rest of the group looked towards each other for a while before Roxanne sat up and put her hand forward. 'I'm in.' 

The others followed closely and it wasn't long before seven hands were piled up on top of each other. 

'Now repeat, I swear to stay loyal to my friends and never reveal our secret hideout.' Roxanne stated in a matter-of-fact voice before grinning widely at Lloyd. 

'I swear to stay loyal to my friends and never reveal our secret hideout.' The rest uttered in unison. After which they all burst out in laugher, fell back on the floor and continued gazing at the beautiful dark night sky.


	7. The music room

## THE MUSIC ROOM

Thursday, Lloyd & Diane started their day with yet another very slow history of magic class. The weirdly charming professor Whitelock pursuing his last lesson on the Gargoyle strike of 1911

Diane couldn't deny the fact that she enjoyed this class at least a little bit. Eventhough the content of the lessons were mildly boring, Whitelock managed to recount everything very well. 

The rest of their day was spent in the Transfiguration classroom with professor Patil, and after that in the defense against the dark arts classroom with professor Lupin, learning about ghosts.

After dinner the six companions decided to sneak of to the astronomy tower, Roxanne walking several feet in front of them to make sure the coast was clear. 

Once there, they settled in the same spot they'd made their promises just yesterday. Again laying on their backs, this time without the blankets as it was fairly warm outside.

'Hey, I was wondering... do you guys sometimes think about what our parents were up to when they were our age?' Lloyd silently asked, his hands behind his head and a bertie botts every flavour bean in his mouth. 

'Oh I know what my dad and uncle Fred were up to.' Roxanne said while smirking. 

'What'd they do?' Diane asked curiously. 'According to dad: pulling pranks, searching and actually finding secret passages, not paying attention in class,....' Roxanne summed up, counting on her fingers. 

'My dad told me exactly the same thing.' Lloyd said while chuckling. 'What was dear Luna Lovegood up to around our age?' Lloyd asked the scamander twins.

'I don't actually know, probably wandering around in the dark forest and helping out magical beasts.' Lysander stated in a serious tone. 'She doesn't talk about her days at Hogwarts that much.' Lorcan added, his smile slightly faltering. 

'Why not?' Diane asked cautiously. 'Well, she's still kind of shaken up about the whole war. She acts like it doesn't affect her anymore but everytime we mention it, she'll get this panic in her eyes.' Lorcan explained.

'My dads get that as well, Dean talks to me about it from time to time. But I try to not mention it too much around Seamus, he just looks so sad every time someone brings it up.' Saoirse said while fiddling with her ring.

The group lay silent for a good while, Diane doing her best to come up with something that could break the tension. 

'I've never met uncle Fred. But I just miss him, you know? I always wonder what my dad would be like if he was still around...' Roxanne said, looking up towards the sky. 

'He misses you too. And he's proud of you, I'm sure of it.' Lloyd said while laying his hand on Roxanne's and giving it a squeeze, making a soft smile appear on her face.

The rest of the evening was spent gazing up at the sky, reminiscing about things their parents had told them about Hogwarts, and just overall enjoying each others comforting companies. 

•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+

The last school day of the week was spent learning about yet another magical plant, as well as some history of magic, charms and potions. Where they revised the Herbicide potion already seen on Wednesday. 

Going up to the astronomy tower after dinner once again and talking about their favourite pastimes.

Saturday morning, a very sleepy Diane was awakened by Leanne. Who looked recently awoken as well, still yawning and wiping at her eyes. 

'I think there's someone here for you.' She softly said before she got back into bed and hid herself under the covers. That's when Diane heard the knocking sound on their door. 

'If that person doesn't stop knocking, I will literally go out there myself and turn them into a frog!' One of the two normally gossiping girls yelped. 

Diane quickly put on some clothes and went into the hallway, where a grinning Lloyd was waiting for her, leaning against the opposite wall. 'Jeez Loyd, It's Saturday morning.' Diane said while yawning. 

'I've got to show you something.' He grinned as he took her arm and dragged her all the way to the Hufflepuff common room, where he waited until a Hufflepuff student passed by to ask them to get Lorcan and Saoirse out of their beds. 

'We've got to find a better way to communicate with each other.' Lloyd said as the two Hufflepuffs finally made their way over to them, Saoirse rather drowsy whereas Lorcan was full of energy and excitement. 

Without explaining, Lloyd dragged them to the Gryffindor common room. Where he performed the exact same ritual until Roxanne came walking out of the portrait. Repeating the same process again outside the Ravenclaw common room.

All of them were gathered now, standing before a door in an unknown corridor. As Diane glanced from side to side becoming slightly anxious about being introduced to another mysterious room, she saw that the hallway was rather dark. 

The torches resting on the walls were collecting dust and the space overall smelled very musty, like nobody had been there for decades. 

'Long story short, After we all went to our own common rooms last night I couldn't sleep. So I decided to stroll around the castle a bit, meeting some very nice ghost and such- Anyway, I decided to talk to uncle Fred in the portrait again and he told be about this room.' Lloyd pointed at the door behind him as if they'd immediately get what he was trying to say. 

'Uh-well He told me about this room, remember yesterday I said I liked making music? well-uhm....' He started while trying to find the right words before sighing. 'Just look.' 

As Lloyd pushed open the door they were immediately greeted by a strong smell of rotting wood. Behind it was a big collection of various instruments. Some with strings missing, others already so old that you couldn't make out what instrument it was. 

'See, over here is a piano!' He said as he ran through the room, pointing at various objects. 'And here's a few guitars! Oh, and a ukulele! Although, it doesn't really seem usable anymore-' Lloyd kept rambling on. 

Diane couldn't hear him anymore however, all her attention was now fixed upon a small rectangle shaped instrument. Images started flashing before her eyes. 

Her dad and her laughing, sitting on the sofa. Her dad playing the Kalimba for her, a young Diane singing along with the tune. Her dad laying in the hospital, Diane holding his hand. Diane standing alone in an empty field, placing flowers down on the ground before a big stone block. 

'Oh Diane, I see you've discovered-' Lloyd had turned around to face a silent Diane, tears streaming down her face. 'Are you alright?' He sweetly asked. 

Roxanne and Saoirse immediately walked over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. 'Hey, it's alright. We're here.' Lysander said after dragging a chair over to where she was standing, making her sit down. 'What's going on?' He silently asked as he squatted down in front of Diane.

'I-It's just, m-my father used t-to play that for me.' Diane made out after wiping away her tears. 'H-he died five years ago, it j-just brought up some painful memories.' 

'I'm really sorry, I wouldn't have shown you this if I'd known.' Lloyd said while placing a hand on her shoulder. 'No, it's not your fault.' She said as she softly smiled up at the boy. 

'My dad gave me his Kalimba, but I just couldn't bare to touch it or even look at it after he passed.' She went on.

Lorcan picked up the Kalimba from the table and carefully tucked it away in a drawer of an old and dusty dresser. 'It'll be there when you're ready for it.' He said as he turned around to face Diane, a kind smile on his face. 

'I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to get this upset.' Diane said as she blew her nose in a tissue Lysander had provided her with. 

'I know what will cheer you all up.' Lloyd said at once, picking up a guitar and taking place on the ground. The others followed and sat down in front of him, Diane leaning her head on Saoirse's shoulder.

Lloyd began thrumming the strings in a soothing rhythm, making Diane feel content and tranquil. He opened his mouth and out came the most amazing voice Diane'd ever heard. He sang to them a slow song about fairies and forests, the love for nature and the calm of the sea.

They all sat in silence for a long while, entranced by the song. It didn't take long however for Saoirse and Roxanne to get up and act like they were dancing a very complicated Waltz, making Diane's stomach hurt from laugher.

They came back here on Sunday, testing out various instruments. Lloyd almost succeeding in teaching Roxanne some chords on the guitar.

Diane wasn't quite ready to face the instrument her father had loved so much yet, but that didn't stop her from having fun with the others. Towards the end of the day, the harp had wholly become her favourite. 

And so their first week ended on quite literally a happy note.


	8. The password

## THE PASSWORD

The first few weeks at Hogwarts went by swimmingly. Diane was able to keep up with her homework and spent a lot of time with her friends either gazing up at the sky in the astronomy tower or experimenting with the instruments in the music room, which they'd cleaned out a bit.

They were able to store the broken and unusable instruments in the cupboards and dressers, dust off most of the torches and make it an overall cozy and pleasant space. 

The two Hufflepuffs were even able to sneak some blankets and pillows out of their common room, seeing as they had an excessive amount of them already.

Lloyd had proven many times by now that he was very skilled at all things musical. From singing to being able to play multiple instruments. One evening he even bewitched a few instruments to play at the same time, making themselves a mini party. 

Saoirse began showing a lot of interest in the old drum set placed in the very corner of the room, practising the same tune for hours and ultimately being able to provide some additional rhythm to Lloyd's guitar tunes. 

Lorcan on the other hand, started getting regular guitar lessons from Lloyd when they were up in the music room. 

The three of them formed a small band and practiced songs to perform for Diane, Lysander and Roxanne. The only thing they needed now was a decent name. 

'What about magically musical?' Roxanne pitched in after brainstorming to find a name for about half an hour. 'Too complicated.' Lloyd stated. 

'Oh, The Womping Willows!' Lorcan yelped. 'I'm pretty sure that band already exists.' Lysander added, shooting his brother an annoyed look. 

'What do you guys think about the Slytherpuffs?' Diane said. 'You know, since you're a Slytherin and you two are Hufflepuffs.' She clarified. 

The three band members seemed to think this idea over and nodded to themselves. 'I actually really like that!' Lorcan laughed. 'The Slytherpuffs it is.' Lloyd said with a wide grin.

After being up in the room for a good hour, the teens decided to retreat to their common rooms. Lloyd and Diane making their way down to the dungeons, chatting excitedly about the new formed Slytherpuffs.

When they reached the doors to their common room, they were greeted by a couple of elder students sitting in a circle on the ground in front of the door. Including David and Haru, the former waving to them as they approached the group.

'Uhm-Hey guys.' Diane said, eyeing Lloyd in confusion. 'What's going on?' 

'Oh, we're protesting!' David excitedly stated. 'Uh-What? Why?' Lloyd asked slightly panicked. 

'The new password is a disgusting word we absolutely refuse to say.' Haru stated. 'So, now we're going to sit here until someone changes it.' She further explained as the three other sitting students nodded in agreement.

'Can't you just take it up to Professor Zabini?' Lloyd asked. 'Oh, we did. He said he's not in control of the whole password generator thing anymore, but he was going to talk to McGonagall about it.' David stated.

Their conversation was interrupted as they heard another student descending the stairs toward the dungeons. To their surprise it was Saoirse who appeared from around the corner.

'What are you doing down here?' Lloyd shouted as he waved to the girl. She waited until she was closer to reply. 

'I heard some students in the corridor whisper about Slytherins not being able to go into their common room, so I wanted to come check if you guys were okay.' Saoirse said as she looked behind them at the group of elder students. 

'Oh, we can get in just fine. These ones just decided to boycott everyone from getting in because the password is apparently some disgusting word.' Lloyd explained.

'Wait, what word?' Saoirse asked the teens sitting down.

'You know, the word used to described someone who has muggle parents. The opposite of pureblood.' David said.

Lloyd gasped loudly and Saoirse clapped her hands over her mouth. 'Why would they ever do that!' She exclaimed. 

'Okay, all of you come with me. There's always place for you guys in our common room.' She said as she went back up the stairs, the others standing up and following her lead. 

A lot of Hufflepuff students eyed the seven Slytherins weird as they took place on the dark yellowish sofa's, Saoirse immediately handing out blankets. 

'Does anyone want anything to drink? I can sneak into to Kitchens if you want. The house elves are really fond of me, you see.' Saoirse offered. 

'Firewhiskey for me.' Haru said. Saoirse eyed Lloyd and Diane for a while, panic growing on her face. 'Oh Uhm- I don't know if...' 

'I'm just kidding love! Some pumpkin juice would be great thank you.' She said before the others asked for the same drink. 

They were seated in the common room for a while before Lysander came walking in, his hands in his pockets and trailing behind a young Hufflepuff boy. He scanned the room for a while before seeing his friends and walking over to them. 

'How did you get in here?' Saoirse asked confused. 'Oh, Jacob told me that Jack told him that some Slytherins were lounging in the Hufflepuff common room because their password was an unspeakable word. Eli let me in, figured I would check out what was going on.' Lysander explained while looking at all the plants that decorated the walls and tables.

'Oh also, I wanted to help you change the password. An older student taught me some very useful jinxes.' He smirked. 

'I'll come with you.' Diane offered, the two of them leaving the comforting warmth of the Hufflepuff common room. 

'Hey, wait up!' They heard someone shout as they were making their way down to the dungeons. Upon turning around, their panting friend came into view. 'Hey Roxanne.' Lysander and Diane said in unison, watching her lean against the wall to catch her breath.

'I heard that some Slytherin students-' 'Couldn't enter their common room, yeah we know. Follow us.' Lysander finished before turning around and continuing his way down. 

'Rude.' Roxanne murmured after which Diane shot her an apologetic smile.

The three reached the heavy door that led to the Slytherin common room, Lysander telling them to get back and slinging all kind of jinxes at the door. Some seemed to do nothing, while others turned the door into a vibrant purple or making heart-like leaves grow all over it. 

It took the Ravenclaw a good twenty minutes to realize his jinxes weren't helping their situation at all. He too sat down against the wall next to the two girls, sighing loudly. 

'All right, I've had enough.' Roxanne said as she got up and physically started pushing on the door. 'Come....On....Stupid....door....'

Lysander and Diane started roaring with laughter, making someone on the other side of the door open it to see what was going on. Which caused Roxanne to almost fall face first onto the floor, but she was luckily able to hoist herself up using the side of the wall.

Diane let the Slytherins know they could go back to the dungeons, to which they all let out dissatisfied groans. The group had gotten way too comfortable in the Hufflepuff Common room, Saoirse even providing them with snacks and such. 

After thanking Saoirse for her hospitality, Diane too made her way down to the dungeons and was able to sleep soundly in her own bed.


	9. Festivities

## FESTIVITIES

The days went by very fast, soon enough Halloween had arrived. Hogwarts staff had beautifully decorated the castle corridors. The common rooms however, were to be decorated by the prefects and anyone willing to help.

As Diane came down the stairs the morning of Halloween, David and Haru were decorating the walls and mantelpiece with cutouts of bats. Their wings moving up and down at a frequent rate. 

Diane glanced at them from around the corner. David had just put a cackling jack-o'-lantern on one of the coffee tables, not expecting it to scare him the moment it was put down. He jumped backwards and bumped into Haru, the two falling over and giggling frantically. 

They looked extremely happy together and Diane couldn't help but smile upon seeing the adorable scene. 

'Cool costume!' Haru shouted as she saw Diane quickly cross the common room towards the entrance. 

Diane quickly smiled and bolted out of there, not wanting to disturb whatever it was going on between the two prefects. 

Tradition at Hogwarts was to dress up for Halloween. Diane, Roxanne and Saoirse had decided they wanted to do something together, and so they all went as animals. Roxanne wore an exquisitely stitched costume of a Lion and Diane had done the best she could to resemble a Zebra. Saoirse had gone with the more exotic choice of a Gecko, matching her own pet. 

Seated at the breakfast table, the three girls chatted excitedly about other peoples costumes. Having seen some with other animal costumes and some dressed up as famous witches and wizards. 

Diane was delighted when she saw a girl dressed up as Stevie Nicks, astonished by the fact the legendary singer was an actual witch. She of course asked the two girls to sum up all the other famous wizards and witches they knew.

Not long after getting there, the three boys joined them. Lloyd was wearing a large sheet with two holes cut out in front of his eyes. But instead of the normal whitely ghost colour, the sheet was dyed black. 

'Er- Are you a ghost?' Diane asked slightly confused. 'I'm a dementor of course!' He said, spinning around as to show off his 'costume'. Roxanne and Saoirse couldn't help but giggle at that. 

Despite what Diane was expecting, the twins both wore something completely different. Lorcan was wearing something big, round and hairy around his neck, which lit up every time he moved his head. around his waist he was wearing a band that made a long red tail appear behind him.

Lysander on the other hand, simply wore Hufflepuff robes and nothing more.

'Woah Lorcan, what are you?' Roxanne asked. 'Oh, I'm a Zouwu.' He said, excitement shining in his eyes. 'My dad taught me about it and it's been my favourite animal since.' He went on. Meanwhile Saoirse and Diane were just eyeing Lysander, trying to figure out what he was supposed to be.

'Lysander, uhh-what are you?' Saoirse finally asked. Lysander looked up from his cereal and put down his spoon. 'Really, you don't know? Wait I'll help you out a bit.' He cleared his throat and put on the biggest fake smile he could muster.

When the girls kept staring at him in confusion, he sighed and went back to his cereal slightly disappointed. 'I'm Lorcan.' He stated.

Diane and Saoirse immediately started howling with laughter. 'I-is he okay with that?' Saoirse tried asking between chuckles. 

Lysander Leaned forward toward the girls. 'He hasn't even figured it out yet.' He whispered, causing the girls to laugh even harder despite feeling slightly bad for the other twin.

•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+

The classes that day were all really tranquil, as the teachers spent more time appreciating and guessing the students costumes than actually teaching.

Professor Zabini did not seem to share his colleagues interest, as he went on with classes as usual. He announced they would be working in groups of two today, making the Wiggenweld potion. 

Saoirse and Diane had already decided to be partners when professor Zabini came with the 'great' news that he would be pairing them up. 

'Mrs. Finnigan-Thomas and Mr. Jordan, you can work together.' Professor Zabini said as he came around to their table. He'd sadly already paired the other Huffepuff with someone else, so when he came to Diane he searched around the room in hopes of finding someone else who was left over. 

'Very well, Mrs. Albury and Mrs. Pucey.' He said as he led the two girls towards an empty table. 'Here's your ingredients, please make sure to follow the instructions carefully. Good luck.' He stated before leaving the two alone. 

'Also left over, huh?' Diane said after the silence between them had been a little too awkward. The girl snapped her head around, eyes glowing with fury. 'What's that supposed to mean?' She snapped. 

'Oh, uhm- I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean it like that-.' 

Before Diane could finish her apology the girl had already walked over to the other side of the table, gathering some ingredients and doing her best to ignore her.

'Anyway, my name's Diane. What's yours?' Diane tried asking. But the girl just ignored the question and Diane's whole existence overall. 

Diane cleared her throat and asked the same question again. 

'I'm not dumb!' She suddenly snapped before mumbling something under her breath. 

'Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?' Diane said. 

'Jeez, what are you? Deaf?' The girl again snapped, her mouth curled into a snarl. 'I said my name is Parker, you dimwit.' 

Diane could feel her blood start to boil, suddenly she became really tired of trying to be patient and understanding. 

She walked over to the girl and stood next to her, their shoulders touching. Pretending to search for an ingredient.

'you listen to me, Pucey. We are going to make this potion together. Wether you want it or not. I don't care what you think of me. And I suggest you watch you mouth when talking to me, understood?' She spoke softly, not knowing what had just come over her. 

Diane had never been the confrontational type, but if someone egged her on like this she really didn't feel like she had an other choice. 

The girl just kept furiously staring at the ingredients, not moving or saying anything. At that moment, Diane knew she'd made an enemy. 

She could see Parker was not used to being put in her place like this, and Diane very much enjoyed being the first to do so. 

They were able to brew the potion perfectly at the end of the class, despite not having talked or even looked at each other. 

•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+

As the weeks went by, Diane and Parker seemed to start despising each other more and more. One potions class they even got into a shouting match, Professor Zabini breaking it up by saying they'd both get detention if they kept behaving this badly. 

The threat of detention was the only thing keeping Diane from lashing out at the girl, as she got swear word after swear word flung at her nearly every class. 

All she could do now was ignore the girl to the best of her abilities and complain about it later to her friends, who also seemed to rather dislike Parker Pucey. 

As winter was approaching, the six friends had to say goodbye to each other for a few weeks. Everyone was going back to their families, except for Diane. 

She decided it'd be best if she stayed at Hogwarts. She did miss her parents, but knew they'd spent too much money and time on her if she were to return.

When she woke up on Christmas morning, the only person seated in the common room was Haru. She was staring blankly at the Christmas tree, sipping her hot coffee. When she heard Diane approaching, she immediately turned her head and smiled widely.

'For a second I thought I was the only Slytherin staying over for Christmas break.' She said as she put down her cup of coffee. 'Want some hot coco?' She asked Diane, who nodded and took a seat in the opposite armchair. 

Haru picked up a mug from the table and with a flick of her wand, a brown liquid appeared in the cup. 

'Be careful birdie, it's hot.' She said as she handed it to Diane before sitting down in her armchair and picking up her own drink. 

The two sat in silence for a while, Diane glancing at all the decorations hanging in their common room. 

'Can I ask you something?' She asked Haru. 'Ofcourse birdie.' She answered.

'Why are you staying here?' She carefully asked. Haru looked at her for a while before looking down at her feet and lightly clearing her throat. 

'My parents both passed away when I was very young. So, for as long as I can remember I've been raised in an orphanage. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked it there. My parents were apparently loaded and were able to put me in the care of a very sweet woman. But I decided I wanted to become more independent, that's why I'm spending as much time as I can here.' She explained.

Diane nodded and went back to her hot coco.

'Hey, I think there's a present for you.' Haru said as she pointed to a medium sized parcel underneath the Christmas tree, indeed having Diane Albury written on it. 

As Diane picked this up and unwrapped it, she saw a dark green knitted sweater with the initial 'D' stitched on it in golden yarn. The note attached to it made her tear up and smile widely.

————

Dear Diane, 

You don't know me yet, but I am your friend Roxanne's grandmother.  
thank you for keeping her company at Hogwarts, dear. I can't wait to meet you!

Merry Christmas,  
Molly Weasley

————

Diane instantaneously put on the sweater and looked over at Haru. 'Merry Christmas Haru.'

'Merry Christmas Diane.'


	10. The end of first year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of year 1

## END OF FIRST YEAR

For Valentines day the group decided to do some sort or Secret Santa. They distributed cards with their names written on them and had to buy gifts for whoever's name they picked. 

Diane had to buy a gift for Saoirse. She quickly decided on buying her a pair of dangly earrings, as Saoirse had an infatuation with all kinds of special jewellery. 

She remembered a pair of earrings she had seen in a quaint little shop not far from her hometown. At the top of the earrings sat a small yellow topaz crystal, from which a golden string trailed down to a tiny star at the bottom. 

She quickly wrote her parents a letter, hoping they would pick them up for her and send them back to her in a letter of their own. 

The earrings weren't overly expensive and Diane would pay her parents back with the money she'd saved up over the years. She wanted to make sure she got a present worthy of her dear friend.

Saoirse was the first friend she'd made here. She had a special gift of always succeeding in making Diane feel welcome and comfortable under any given circumstance.

The teens were now sitting in a circle up in the astronomy tower, all beaming with excitement.

'Who wants to go first?' Saoirse asked, not even a second later she responded to her own question with 'I'll go!' 

She handed a rectangle shaped parcel to Lysander who was sitting next to her. His eyes lit up with amazement when he opened it.

Inside the parcel was an old worn down book on which a star and moon was stitched in gold lining. As Lysander flicked through the pages, Saoirse started explaining what exactly it was.

'It's a very old book about the constellations, had to go through a lot of trouble to get it. And at the end there's a couple of empty pages on which you can make notes and stuff!' She excitedly stated.

Lysander gave her a quick hug and voiced his thank you before carefully placing the book inside his bag. 

'Alright I guess I'll go next then?' He said before handing a round object to his brother. 'careful bro, it's brittle.'

Lorcan unwrapped his present which was a round glassy orb. 

'You remembered!' He excitedly exclaimed. 'Of course I did.' Lysander stated, trying to keep his untroubled attitude, but letting a small grin slip through upon receiving a hug from his overly excited brother. 

'I've wanted one of these for ages!' He said while studying the crystal ball intently. 

'Oh, Ive got something for Lloyd.' He stated before handing him a big box.

Inside was a weird looking machine and stickers that read 'The Slytherpuffs'.

'Thanks Lorcan! What is it?' Lloyd asked enthusiastically. 

'It's a machine on which you can record your songs and it automatically conserves them. Oh, and the stickers were just something extra I though would be fun.' Lorcan said smiling sweetly. 

Lloyd seemed to want to put this machine to the test immediately, but instead put it away and handed his own present to Roxanne. 

He passed her a small box which contained a long golden necklace, a red ruby shining in the middle. Roxanne put this around her neck right away. 

'Wait, there's something else.' Lloyd said. He picked up Roxanne's hand and placed in upon the ruby, placing his hand over hers also grabbing the vibrant red crystal. 'See, a heart appears when we both touch it. because you're my best friend forever.' 

The group broke out into a chant of 'awww'. To which Roxanne chuckled quietly and Lloyd turned around to slap Lysander on the shoulder. 

'Okay, my turn now.' Roxanne said as she grabbed an orange box that had small holes in it and slid it over to Diane slowly. 

As Diane opened the box, she could hear a small squeaking. When the lid was fully off, a round fluffy purple creature came into view. Roxanne explained it was called a Pygmy puff.

'My dad and uncle sell them in their shop, I saw this little one and for some reason it made me think of you.' She said as she showed Diane where they liked to be scratched and petted. The puff making a satisfied sound when Roxanne scratched it behind its tiny ears.

Diane put the puff on her shoulder and proceeded to gift a small box to Saoirse, who squeaked exactly like the little animal upon seeing its contents. She gave Diane a tight hug and immediately wore the glistening earrings.

'Oh, I also bought this if someone is interested!' Lorcan said as he fished a couple of regular blue pens out of his bag, handing them around.

Roxanne and Diane looked at each other in confusion, both knowing they were just regular ballpoint pens. 

'I bought them off some students. Supposedly they answer all your questions correct on a test and they can't be detected by teachers.' He further explained. 

Diane couldn't help but laugh, to which everyone except Roxanne looked at her in confusion. 

'Oh, you're serious?' She asked Lorcan, who slowly nodded. 'Lorcan I'm sorry to break it to you this way, but these are just regular ballpoint pens.' 

'They're the things muggles use to write. Nothing magical about them.' Roxanne further explained, having learned this from her grandfather. 

Lorcan then proceeded to tell them all about how he heard some students in the corridor quietly talking about these magic pens and how he wanted in on it. How he'd found the two students who sold them and how he payed 2 galleons per pen. 

Roxanne and Diane couldn't stand seeing Lorcan so disappointed and regretful, so they decided to go on a quest to find the mischievous suppliers. 

As they left the rest of their friends up in the astronomy tower, the two made their way through as many corridors they could. Keeping their eyes open and ears peeled. 

It wasn't long before they caught a glimpse of two youngsters secretly handing out pens in a hidden alcove. 

Roxanne confidently walked over to the duo, Diane trailing behind her. 'So you're the ones selling so called magical pens, huh?' she said accusingly. 

'Depends who's asking, ain't it.' The boy stated, a mischievous grin growing on his face. 

The duo consisted of a boy and a girl. They looked very similar and Diane was sure they had to be related in some way. 

'2 galleons if you want one.' the girl said in a very business-like manner. 

'Listen, we know you guys are just selling regular pens. We're here to get our friend's money back.' Roxanne stated. 

'What the purebloods don't know won't hurt them.' the boy said while counting the coins in his hand, the mischievous grin still present on his face. 'besides, they're all rich anyway.' The girl added. 

'It's not fair to rip-off people like that. Not all of them are wealthy, you know.' Diane said, not sounding as confident as she wanted to. 

'Look, if it's such a problem we'll stop. we've had our fun anyway.' the boy said before tossing two galleons into Diane's robe pockets. 

'For your troubles.' The girl smiled as Diane fished the coins out of her pocket and studied them. 

'Who are you guys?' Roxanne asked curiously. Diane had to admit she was also rather infatuated by the particular duo. 

'Josephine and Jasper Remington. But you can call us the Remington twins.' Jasper smiled. 

'So you guys are muggle born too?' Diane asked, becoming more curious by the second. She hadn't met any other muggle borns yet. 

'That we are, Diane.' Josephine smiled. It took a few seconds for Diane to realise that the girl knew her name.

'Wait, how do you know her name?' Roxanne asked, looking between the two twins. 

'We make it our business to know everything and everyone at Hogwarts, Roxanne Weasley. ' Jasper said, still not looking up from the coins in his hand. 

Roxanne stared at them for a while. 'okay well, we'll see you around I guess.' She said before slowly turning, linking her arm with Diane and walking away. 

'That we will!' Josephine exclaimed as the two teens walked away.

Diane waited until they were far enough away to start talking again. 

'Uhm-, so that was weird.' She stated. 'Yeah, you could definitely say that.' Roxanne sighed. 

•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+•.*+

Diane's easter holidays were once again spent on the castle grounds, in the company of Haru. The two of them got along very well at this point.

These two weeks however, all Haru did was talk about David. How he was the sweetest guy ever but still managed to annoy her every second of the day. 

Diane acted interested in her banter, but she really couldn't care less about boy problems. 

At the great hall one morning, Diane noticed she and Haru weren't the only one seated at the Slytherin table. 

Her potions partner was seated a few seats from her, staring blankly into her cereal as if it was the most interesting thing ever. 

Diane had the urge to go up to her and ask if she was okay, but quickly remembered what kind of person Parker was and dropping the idea immediately.

This went on for a few mornings. Diane knew she shouldn't let her curiosity and nurturing nature get the better of her. 

Parker was a horrible person and she probably deserved whatever it was that made her look this miserable.

After the holiday, the exams quickly followed. Diane found them to be fairly easy and was almost certain she would receive decent marks. 

Lloyd, Lorcan and Roxanne on the other hand had more difficulty studying and being examined on the contents of their classes. Although Diane was sure their marks would be fine, seeing as they were all smart kids after all.

The school year went by extremely fast. Before they knew it, the group was standing back on platform nine and three quarters, hugging and promising they would write to each other over the summer.

Lloyd and Roxanne went over to two grown-up men who were excitedly talking to one another.

Saoirse, Lorcan and Lysander made their way over to a tall man and a smaller one, Their hands intertwined. They were chatting with a small, light blonde haired woman. 

Diane took in everything magical for a good while before walking off the platform and out of the building. 

Going back to her mundane but familiar lifestyle for the next two months.


	11. The american wizarding schools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of year 2

## THE AMERICAN WIZARDING SCHOOLS

Diane was once again seated in the backseat of her mother's yellow fiat. The right side of her forehead resting against the cold window, staring out at the grey sky and dull buildings. It wouldn't be long now until they reached King's Cross station.

The young girl's summer had been fairly boring compared to the eventful months she had underwent at Hogwarts. She had gone to some local soccer matches with her step-dad. Although these now seemed extremely underwhelming, thinking about the brooms gliding through the air as she had seen during the quidditch matches at school. 

The car came to a screeching halt in front of the station, her mother turned around in the driver's seat and blew her a quick kiss. 'I'll miss you, baby!' She cooed as Diane flung the yellow door open and hopped onto the concrete sidewalk. Hastily trying to get her suitcase and schoolbag out of the boot of the car, as a dozen cars behind her were impatiently blaring their horns. 

'Don't forget to send letters!' Her mother cried out through the open front window before speeding off and letting the row of cars queuing behind her get to their destinations. 

Diane stood waving until the tiny lemon-coloured car was out of sight. 

She excitedly made her way inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of any of her friends. It wasn't long before she saw the dark brown curly hair of Roxanne.

Trying to make her way through the crowd of hugging people, she reached her friend who was chatting with Lloyd. She hadn't even noticed he'd been standing there too, seeing as Roxanne had now grown several inches taller than him. 

Upon seeing Diane, they gave her a quick hug and started boarding the train. They were quickly joined in their compartment by Saoirse and lastly the Scamander twins, who boarded just in time as the train began moving right after they got on. 

The kids all wove their parents goodbye as the train gained speed. Diane catching a glimpse of a tall redheaded man and a small blonde woman.

The twins hadn't changed much over the two warm summer months. Diane was able to distinguish them quite well at this point. Even though they were identical, Lysander kept his hair on the longer side. It had grown an inch or two since the last time she had seen him, meanwhile Lorcan kept his hair short and unruly. 

The other differences she had noticed over their first year at Hogwarts was that Lorcan's blue eyes were slightly bigger, making him resemble a lost puppy. Which described his personality surprisingly well. 

✰✰✰

The teens arrived at Hogsmeade's station relatively fast. Being entertained the whole train ride there by the twins's stories about their lengthy stay in Spain. As their parents were on a quest to find the rare dragon breed of the Catalonian fireball.

The second to seventh year students were transported to the castle in black carriages, in oppose to the tiny boats they'd drifted across the black lake with last year. 

Diane didn't understand the amazement of many students as they were bickering amongst themselves about the carriages being pulled by themselves. She could clearly see the black and bony figures of the winged horses pulling them towards the castle.

Ultimately deciding to stay quiet about her sightings of the strange and rather frightening horses, Diane and her friends entered the great hall and sat down at their respective tables. Their belly's already rumbling for the feast that was soon to come.

As the sorting hat began his annual chant and sorting of the first year students, Diane noticed one large extra table was placed at the front of the great hall. It was empty except for the glimmering silver plates, goblets and cutlery scattered over the whole length of the table. Who these places were reserved for, nobody seemed to know. 

'I would like to wish all new students a happy welcome! As well as a welcome back to all other students! This year, I am glad to announce our school will house several new students. The headmasters of the American wizarding schools of Ilvermorny and Castelobruxo have chosen several lucky students to travel to a different institution every year. They will be spending an entire schoolyear in our castle, as well as teach us some of their magical talents.' Pofessor McGonagall stated. 

'I expect you all to receive our guests with open arms and treat them with utmost respect! Now, without further ado. Headmistress Ortega Renteria of Castelobruxo and headmaster Agilbert Fontaine of Ilvermorny!' The professor finished.

The doors to the great hall opened and in walked two very intimidating wizards. The one on the left was a young but very wise looking woman, clad in a long green silk dress that trailed several feet behind her. Her dark hair was pinned up neatly, making her brown eyes stand out lovely.

The man on the right was rather old looking. He wore a silver suit, partially hidden by a thick black cloak. In the light of the great hall, his beard and hair resembled a silvery-white colour. 

Behind the two headmasters, a thirty-ish students followed. Half of them clad in bright green robes, the other half in blue and cranberry coloured robes. They were all smiling brightly, most of them looking up at the enchanted ceiling and floating candles.

One girl in particular was browsing the students seated at Diane's table. She was wearing green robes and had a fairly tanned skin tone, which contrasted beautifully with her snow-white hair. 

She started waving and Diane followed her gaze to see David excitedly waving back. The two of them looked extremely similar indeed.

The guests took place at the farthest table and awaited further instructions. 

When professor McGonagall finished greeting the two guests of honour, she again waived her hands exactly like she had done last year. The great feast finally appearing before them.

✰✰✰

After their very satisfying dinner. Lloyd and Diane decided to trail behind David and Haru, who were once again leading the first year Slytherins to the dungeons. Suddenly, the white haired girl she had noticed before sprinted from around the corner, flying into David'd arms while squealing loudly. He hugged her tightly before introducing her to Haru, the first year Slytherins patiently waiting and not really knowing what or who to look at. 

'This is my cousin, Andrea! Andrea, meet Haru. My...' He seemed to consider what to say next for a while, before smiling and looking over at Haru. 'My girlfriend.'

This made Haru blush lightly as the two girls shook hands. 

'I'd love to give you a tour of the castle mija, but I've got prefect duties.' He motioned to the dozen young students standing before him.

'We'll do it!' Lloyd suddenly called out, moving forward through the crowd of younger students. Diane felt like she had no other choice than to follow him.

David thanked him before leading the teens downstairs, leaving Diane and Lloyd alone with the older girl. 

'Do you mind if some of the other students come with?' Andrea asked. 'No, not at all!' Lloyd sweetly smiled.

The girl disappeared for a few seconds and came back with three new unknown faces. 

'This is Ezequiel.' Andrea pointed to a younger black haired boy who was also wearing bright green robes. 'And these two are Natalie and Alexander.'

'You can call me Alex.' The boy beamed as Diane went to shake his hand. 'And you can call me Nat.' The girl offered in turn. 

The girl had beautiful dark red hair that came down to just above her waist, a scar was also visible above her left eyebrow. Which made her look even more intimidating.

As the five of them were walking through the castle halls, Lloyd heavily focussed on explaining the different uses of the classrooms, Ezequiel came to walk besides Diane. 

'So, in what year are you two?' He asked, eyeing Diane curiously. 'We're both in our second year, how about you guys?' She questioned, once again feeling the curious aspect of her personality take over.

'I have also just started second year. Nat and Alex are in their fourth and Andrea in her fifth. Although I think the school system in America works a little different than around here.' He explained. 

Lloyd led them up the stairs towards the third floor, never stopping his ramblings. Andrea, Nat and Alex seemed to be very entertained by him however. Never once stopping to talk amongst themselves, afraid they would miss some of his information. 

'I saw students wearing robes in different colours. Are those your different houses?' Ezequiel asked Diane. 

'Yup! Yellow for Hufflepuff, who are the loyal and patient ones. Red for Gryffindors, the brave ones. Blue for Ravenclaw, the most intelligent. And Green for Slytherin, who are supposed to be ambitious and resourceful.' She explained as she motioned to her own green lined robes. 

'Thats interesting! In Castelobruxo we also have four houses. I don't know how the students here are sorted, but in our school we have to eat an umamiri. Based on what we taste we're sorted into one of the four houses.' Ezequiel explained in turn. 

'An Umamiri?' Diane questioned, never having heard that word in her whole life. 

'Oh, It's a magical fruit. It either tastes sweet, sour, bitter or salty. Based on what the person tastes, they're sorted.' he smiled.

'How does that all work?' Diane further asked.

'When you taste the sweet flavour, you get sorted into Arashar. The students in this house are really creative and deductive. The salty flavour places you into Pawanunga, which has students that are highly intelligent and also very protective.' He started explaining.

'Then there's Kuaraori, where you get placed into when you taste a bitter flavour. These students are more defensive and independent. Lastly there's my tribe, Nomphyrian. You get sorted here by tasting a sour flavour. We're supposed to be very kind but also vindictive people.' He finished. 

Diane and Ezequiel kept chatting throughout the whole of Lloyd's tour, which roughly took two hours. Lloyd was desperately trying to get the older girls's attention, which ultimately failed miserably. 

In the end they gave him a friendly pat on the head and thanked the two before leaving. Ezequiel waving Diane goodbye as well.

She was rather fond of Ezequiel already. And she could also not deny that he was a fairly good looking guy.


	12. Quidditch tryouts

## QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS

The teens had discussed quidditch amongst themselves quite a few times over the weeks.

Roxanne had her heart set on trying out for the Gryffindor quidditch team as a beater the moment she entered the school. Lysander too, wanted a spot on his house's team. 

Diane didn't know much about flying or playing yet, but in her heart she felt this horrible ache. She felt like she would miss out if she didn't at least give it a shot. 

Ultimately, Weeks prior to the tryouts, she had nervously written down her name on the paper hung up on the notice board in their common room that read 'quidditch tryouts'. 

Above her name stood a couple of others already, many she didn't recognise, until her eyes fell upon one particular name. One that made her clench her fists and blood begin to boil. 

'Parker Penelope Pucey - Chaser'. Her now least favourite person in the whole school was coincidentally trying out for the same position as her. 

She and Parker had never gotten along. Ever since their first interaction back in first year potions class, it had become crystal clear that their personalities clashed in the worst way possible. They have despised each other since. 

Diane's hands hovered over the brown paper as she was contemplating scrapping her name of the list all together. She and Parker would never get along and she didn't think it'd be the best idea of they were on a sports team together. 

However, the urge to defeat Parker at something overpowered that of fair play. She looked at her name in delicate black lettering one more time before retiring to her room and getting a good nights sleep. 

✰✰✰

The following morning, the tryouts of the Gryffindor team took place. The five teens were huddled together in the best spot they could find, excited to see what Roxanne was capable of. 

As the students who were competing for a spot on the team came walking onto the pitch, they were met with many hushed whispers.

Diane could hear a pair of girls on her left murmuring about how Roxanne would get a spot on the team no matter what, seeing as her brother Fred was now the captain of the team. And how that didn't seem fair to them.

The moment Roxanne shot into the air however, all the gossiping was silenced. She did an absolutely amazing job as a beater. Being far more talented and adequate than any of the other youngsters that tried out. 

Diane wasn't surprised when Roxanne joined them in the stands, saying she had got a spot as a beater. 

The Ravenclaw tryouts took place next, being planned right after Gryffindor as to make the whole recruiting process easier and less time consuming. 

Lysander strode down the pitch, confident as ever. He always believed in himself and knew his skills and talents, which Diane admired greatly. 

Very unsurprisingly, Lysander was a really good seeker and he too earned a spot on his house's team. 

It was now Diane's turn to show that she would make a good addition to the team. She took a deep breath and walked down to the pitch.

First came the students who were trying out for Keeper, after that the beaters and right after that the chasers. 

Diane and her fellow students were ordered to stand in line, mounting their brooms but not going up into the air yet. 

'I guess I won't have a hard time getting on the team, if bigots like you are trying out.' Parker hissed in Diane's direction. 

Despite feeling her anger rise, she decided to stay quiet. Glaring at the dark haired girl instead.

'Good luck, dud.' Parker sneered as the signal was given and she shot into the air. Diane following close behind. 

Throughout the whole exercise, Parker taunted her in every way possible. Sticking out her tongue if she scored or shooting her a rude hand gesture when she passed by. This frequently took Diane's focus off the game. 

When they'd finished, Diane thought she'd done quite a good job. Although she had to admit Parker played better. 

'You seemed a bit scared up there, baby Albury.' Parker snickered as she landed next to Diane. 'Shut up, Pucey!' Diane shot back, having had quite enough. 

'Alright, gather around!' The captain called out. 'The new chasers we'll be taking on are Rosmerta Jameson and Parker Pucey.' He said, scrapping of the other students name from his list. 'You lot can go change now.' 

As the players were walking across the pitch to get off their Quidditch gear. Diane couldn't help but feel angry at Parker, who was walking not far behind her and snickering at something.

'If you hadn't behaved like a twit up there, I'd have played way better!' Diane drawled as she abruptly turned around to face Parker. 

'It's not my fault you have no talent.' Parker scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 'Say that again and you'll regret it.' Diane sneered, not caring about anyone overhearing them anymore. 

'What are you going to do? Send your pathetic muggle parents to teach me a lesson?' Parker laughed, balling her fists and inching closer to Diane. 

Something snapped inside of her. She let her anger take full control as she pushed Parker. The girl landed on her back, looking shocked while rubbing the back of her head. It wasn't long before her expression changed from surprise to fury.

Parker shot up from the ground and flew towards Diane. The two were now rolling on the ground, scratching and pulling at each other. 

Diane felt two pairs of hands pull her back from the still struggling Parker. Lysander and Roxanne were holding her back, trying to calm her down. But all sounds were cut off, all she could focus on was Parker's furious face and busted lip. Wanting so desperately to have another go at her. 

'This isn't over.' Parker sneered as she stormed towards the castle, holding a tissue to the bleeding scratch marks on her neck. 

✰✰✰

Diane was quite proud of the damage she had managed to do to the girl. Somehow, no teachers had seen their little run-in. Parker was being treated in the hospital wing but seemed to be set on never telling who had given her the scratches and busted lip.

As Diane was walking to her Charms class a couple of days later, she was cornered by the Remington twins. 

'We heard about the row you had with the Pucey girl.' Jasper started. 'And we're very intrigued.' Josephine finished. 

'You've become quite the hero, you see. Pucey's been bullying kids left and right.' Jasper explained. 'You're the only one who stood up and actually did something about it.' Josephine stated, trying to keep up with a still walking Diane. 

'Well, she got what she deserved anyway.' Diane uttered, not really knowing where the twins were going with this. 

'That she did.' Jasper grinned. 'We wondered if you'd want to make some publicity for our business.'

'Not if you guys are still scamming poor students.' Diane quickly said, remembering their marketing tactics from the year before.

'Don't you worry about that, we make an honest living now you see.' Josephine offered, winking at her twin. 

'We've been selling calculators and pencils like crazy, no need to lie about anything anymore.' Jasper explained.

'And you want me to put in a good word for you guys. Why?' Diane carefully asked, knowing full well the two could easily persuade her into doing something she did not want to do.

'Because people look up to you now! They'd surely want a graph paper or eraser if they saw the Diane Albury using it.' Jasper exclaimed. 

'Plus, you'd get our products for free.' Josephine said, wiggling her eyebrows.

'Fine, I'll do it.' Diane sighed. She didn't feel like arguing with the two, they always got was they wanted anyway. 

Besides, she really needed to get to her charms class or Professor Flitwick would take points from Slytherin. 

The Remingtons gave Diane some of their products and excitedly shook her hand before disappearing around the corner.

As she entered the classroom, several students began whispering and looking at her weird. 

News and gossip spread fast at Hogwarts it seemed. Altough no teachers knew of the incident, quite a few students seemed to have witnessed the quarrel and recounted the affair to their friends. 

Several days later, the story had been passed on so many times that it's contents had changed drastically. 

Some students seemed to believe Diane was a werewolf hiding amongst them. Others regarded Diane as a hero, thinking she had attacked Pucey because she had been taunting an innocent first-year hufflepuff. 

'Would you look at that! Our very own warrior has arrived!' Lloyd exclaimed as Diane joined her friends in the music room. 

'Please, shut up.' Diane chuckled. The six of them had been able to get quite a laugh out of the whole occurrence, Eventhough Diane had been left with an aching scalp for a few days. 

She was very happy she had been able to make sure Parker knew exactly who she was dealing with.

Even Ezequiel, who had been busy learning everything he could about Hogwarts, had cornered Diane one afternoon to congratulate her on the victory of her battle. 

The loss of her spot on the quidditch team was quickly forgotten thanks to this extremely satisfying triumph.


	13. Winter break

## WINTER BREAK

By the time winter break came along, Diane had learned numerous new matters. Such as the skurge and freezing charm. She had also been able to successfully turn a porcupine into a pin cushion and brew a swelling solution as well as a strengthening solution by now.

The guest lectures which the students of Castelobruxo and Ilvermorny taught now and again were highly educational and exciting as well.

Ezequiel and another green robed girl named Lorena joined them in a few Herbology lessons, teaching them their way of doing things. 

It wasn't a secret that Castelobruxo students were extremely talented at Herbology and Magizoology. Ezequiel certainly wasn't an exception, as he surprised Diane by growing fluxweed in a matter of minutes. 

'All you have to do is-' Ezequiel slowly poured a newly made concoction onto the lowest branch of the plant, concentrating hard while watching it drip slowly down the base of the plant. 'And, ahí está!' 

'Seems easy when you do it!' Diane chuckled, taking the vial and placing it safely on one of the higher shelves. 

The two had been going over the contents she struggled with for about an hour now. Professor Longbottom had giving certain students permission to use the greenhouses during the break. 

Diane's grades weren't glorious this term, so she was one of the students given permission to practice. 

A knock on one of the greenhouse windows made them both jump up, Diane nearly knocking the growing plant of the desk. 

Through the window an overly excited Lorcan was frantically waving, mouthing the words 'come out' before getting hit in the back of the head with a snow ball.

His brother stood several feet behind him, roaring with laughter.

The twins were staying at Hogwarts during the break as well. Their parents were going on another one of their so called quests. This time, looking for the Crumple-Horned Snorcack in Sweden. 

Diane put her dark green slytherin scarf around her neck while Ezequiel placed her grey hat on top of her head. 

The two linked arms and walked out the door, immediately feeling the cold winter air seeping through their thick cloaks. 

The Hogwarts grounds were decorated with a thick layer of snow this time of year. Diane loved seeing the tiny snowflakes falling down from the grey sky and landing on people's hair or clothes, where they always seemed to disappear within seconds. 

She was admiring the snow-covered whomping willow when she underwent the same fate as Lorcan. 

Being hit on the side of her arm with a snow ball. She hastily turned around and saw a grinning Ezequiel, standing next to Lysander and high-fiving him. 

'Hurts, doesn't it.' Lorcan murmured, rubbing the back of his head.

'Oh, we'll get them back.' Diane grinned, taking Lorcan by the arm and running for cover behind a large boulder. 

'I need you to make as many snowballs as possible.' She ordered, already starting to make the round pieces herself. 

The pile of snowballs grew taller by the second. When Diane felt they had sufficient, she gave Lorcan a wink and procured her wand from inside her robes. 

'Wingardium Leviosa.' She whispered. The heap of snow was lifted into the air. Diane fixed all her attention on the charm as she flew the bundle over the two unsuspecting boys's heads. 

A loud shriek rang across the grounds as Ezequiel and Lysander were struck with a couple of dozen snowballs. 

Lorcan and Diane fell back into the snow, both howling with laughter. 

The pure delight Diane felt at that moment stuck with her for the rest of her winter break. 

✰✰✰

On the last evening of the holidays, Diane was seated in front of the fire. bundled up in one of the grey blankets, a book she'd received for christmas from her parents in her lap. 

In the corner of her eye, she saw someone sneak across the common room. 

She turned just in time to catch the dark hair of Parker flowing around the corner. Hearing the doors slide open and close. 

It was already a few hours past curfew. Diane quickly looked around and upon seeing she was alone, decided to risk it and follow her nemesis to see what she was up to. 

She trailed Parker Pucey all the way to a room she'd visited at the start of the school year. Silently creeping inside behind her. 

She hid behind a pilar as Parker walked up to the huge portret which portrayed the now sleeping heroes of the second wizarding war. 

'Penelope' The girl whispered. A tall dark haired Slytherin woman woke up and walked to the front of the painting, smiling faintly and rubbing her eyes. 

It was hard for Diane to hear their exact conversation, but managed to pick up on the most important parts. 

'How are things at home?' The woman asked. 

'They're getting worse auntie.' Parker sighed. 'Dad has been drinking again, he barely even talks to me anymore.' 

There was a silence before Diane heard a faint crying sound. 

'I know it's been hard since your mum...' The women fell silent again, fiddling with her fingers.

'Thing will get better Parker, they always will.' She smiled. Parker wiped at her eyes and softly smiled back, putting her hand up against the portret, the woman doing the same from the other side. 

They stayed like this for a while before Parker turned around and strode towards the door, closing it silently behind her. 

Diane was still thinking over the conversation she'd just witnessed. Waiting a few minutes before following Parker out the door, planning on sneaking back to the common room and pretending she'd never heard anything. 

Her plans were quickly altered however. As she closed the door behind her and turned around, she bumped into an exasperated Parker. 

'Are you happy now?' She fumed, balling her fists but not looking Diane in the eye. Staring at the ground instead, her eyes still puffy and red. 

'I-I'm..' Diane fumbled for the right words to say, but none came to mind. 

'Don't ever come near me again.' Parker spat, her eyes still averted. 

Diane tried to grab her by the arm to apologise but the girl was already bolting down the stairs. 

She felt extremely embarrassed and guilty. She had never meant to eavesdrop on such a private discussion. Eventhough she despised Parker, she would never intentionally do something like that. 

Diane walked and walked, not knowing where she was going. Her mind wandering endlessly.

It seemed as though Parker had lost her mother. Diane remembered how she had felt when she lost her father. That place in her heart her parent had once occupied, never seemed to be able to fully heal. 

Before she could register where she was going, she was already stood in front of the music room. The darkness of the abandoned corridor now more pronounced than ever. 

She stared at the tall door looming before her before reaching out and pushing it open. 

Diane was immediately drawn to the cupboard Lorcan had stored her father's favourite instrument in just a year before. 

Opening it with a trembling hand, she slowly picked up the dusty Kalimba. It's small silver tines clinking as Diane brought it towards her. 

She studied its dark brown exterior, feeling anxious yet curious nevertheless. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before placing her finger down on one of the small tines and slowly pushing down. 

She was fully expecting to feel a sense of dread once she slid off her finger, which would cause the box to make a sound. 

However, quite the opposite happened once she procured a note from the small instrument. 

It's soothing tune bounced of the walls and echoed through the room. It felt like the vibrations had entered Diane's body as she was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling of happiness. 

She stroked another tine, and the exact same thing happened. 

With every note she played, a happy memory of her dad slipped into her mind. Being there only for a split second and flashing away before her very eyes. 

The horrible memories Diane had recalled upon seeing the instrument last year, were quickly replaced by cheerful ones. 

She sat down and started playing a tune she remembered so well, a tune her father would play for her. 

Tears streaming down her face, Diane started to smile. For the first time ever, she could feel that small empty place in her heart start to fill up again. 

It was then she decided to never treat Parker like she had done before. To make it her mission to help Parker fill that little place in her heart she so desperately had been trying to fill these last years. 

She was going to help Parker, wether the girl wanted it or not.


	14. End of term

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of year 2

## END OF TERM

For Valentines the teens again decided to randomly pick a name and buy a gift for that person. 

This time, Diane got a special edition of a large magical history book from Lysander. He had noticed Diane's weird infatuation with their history of magic classes and thought it would be a fitting gift.

The others thought it was some sort of bad joke, after all who would want a history of magic book as a present. 

Diane made sure to shoot him a grateful smile, however. As she was actually really happy with his gift. 

The two had gotten closer over the past few months. On the outside, Lysander seemed like a cold person with an untroubled and calm attitude. Always acting extremely confident and nonchalant. 

Once you got to know him however, he was actually really sweet and caring. He was the kind of friend who would wait for you to tie your shoelaces. Or in Diane's case, the kind of friend who noticed what you were truly interested in and never shame you for it. 

They had all come down for breakfast one day, sitting at the Hufflepuff table as the teachers were generally too drowsy and lax in the morning to care if the students ate at their respective tables. 

Diane was highly concentrated on putting just the right amount of butter on her pancakes, when a small grey owl made a crash landing right in front of them. Diane's pancakes went flying and Lloyd's cereal spat onto his robes. 

The owl dropped a package that was exceedingly large for its tiny body on the daily prophet Roxanne had just been reading. 

'Errol junior, just as clumsy as his dad was.' She sighed as she fed the owl a cereal that had strayed from Lloyd's bowl.

'Rox, what is it?' Lorcan studied the package as if the wrapping paper would become transparent if he stared at it long enough. 

'Looks like a broom, doesn't it?' Lysander questioned before hitting his brother on the back of the head when he started to inch his hand towards the package. 

'Lets see!' Roxanne grinned. She unwrapped the gift in less than three seconds. The contents were met with loud gasps. 

'No way! It's the new firebolt supreme!' Lloyd gushed. 

In the package lay a shiny black broom, Roxanne's initials 'R.W' etched into it in red lettering. A small card was bound to its tail. Roxanne carefully untied this piece of paper and started reading out loud. 

————

My dearest Roxy,

Mum and I have never been more proud of you. We can't wait to see you play! (although we both know you'll never beat me in one of our home-matches.)

Uncle Fred would have been over the moon if he heard our legacy will be passed on to the most remarkable witch of all. 

You deserve all the best Rox. 

Love, dad.

————

✰✰✰

Roxanne played absolutely astounding the following quidditch matches, the broom seemed to have been tailored to her specific flying style. 

Diane had noticed Parker in the stands watching the matches a few times, looking positively miserable. 

She wanted to talk to her, but every time she got the chance it just didn't feel like the right moment. 

The end of term approached quickly. The teens had to choose what elective classes they would be taking next year. 

It wasn't a surprise when Lysander announced he would be taking up Arithmancy and Divination, as well as Study of Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. 

Lorcan mostly wanted to focus on Care of Magical creatures but decided to also take up divination, seeing as they had to choose at least two classes.

Saoirse also chose for Care of Magical creatures together with Muggle Studies. Roxanne wanted to pick up Arithmancy as well as Study of Ancient Runes. 

Lloyd chose Arithmancy and surprisingly also Muggle studies. His reasoning behind this being that he hoped he would learn more about muggle music. 

Diane had a hard time choosing what elective classes to take up. She hadn't really been into maths much when she was younger, and therefore didn't want to take up Arithmancy. Muggle studies also seemed rather useless to her, seeing as she had grown up in the muggle world up until last year.

Ultimately she chose Care of Magical creatures, Divination and Ancient Runes. 

The teens were all up in the music room discussing these new classes, when Ezequiel came in. Looking rather distraught. 

'What happened?' Diane stood up and quickly walked over to him. 

'We're leaving.' He sighed. 'We're going back to America for the summer.'

He sat down on the ground, joining the circle they had formed. 'I'm really going to miss you guys.' He smiled.

'We're going to miss you too, mate.' Lorcan stated. 'Especially your tutoring session for Herbology.' Lloyd added. 

The teens laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the memories they'd made together. 

'Have you guys read about the giants yet?' Lorcan suddenly mentioned.

'What d'you mean?' Diane asked. 'I haven't heard anything about giants since that one d.a.d.a class.' 

'According to this one traveler, the giants up in the mountains are riling up. Like they are planning to do something. Mum published it in the quibbler if you want to read more about it.' He simply stated. 

The teens all looked around at one another, knowing that the quibbler was not the most objective or believable magazine. 

'You guys still have giants here? They went extinct in South America ages ago.' Ezequiel added.

'It's probably nothing, Giants are always fighting amongst themselves anyway.' Lysander stated, the others nodding in agreement. 

The evening approached and the teens walked Ezequiel down to the courtyard in front of the main entrance. 

All around them Hogwarts students were hugging and shaking hands with Ilvermorny and Castelobruxo students. Some even crying in each others arms. 

Ezequiel shook the guys's hands and hugged the girls goodbye, Diane coming last. 

'Stay safe, okay.' Ezequiel said as the two were enveloped in a hug. 'And keep practising on that concoction for Herbology.' He added. 'And don't forget to write me letters!' 

'I won't.' Diane chuckled as they ended their long hug. 'I'll miss you.' 

'I'll miss you too, Chiquita.' He winked before joining his classmates, waving as they made their way across the grounds, disappearing from view behind the hills flanking the black lake. 

Not long after this parting, the teens had to say goodbye themselves. Going back to their families over the summer. 

They all hugged each other tightly and once again promised to write and keep in contact over the two summer months. Just like they'd done last year.


	15. Ancient antiquity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of year 3

## ANCIENT ANTIQUITY

Over the two excruciatingly long summer months, Diane had kept in contact with her friends as promised. 

Lysander had gifted her yet another history book. This time about the ancestry of magical creatures native to Europe. He said he'd found it wasting away behind the dozen or so other magical creatures related books in his father's study. 

She sat in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts express, this particular book laid open across her knees on page 127. She traced her finger vertically over the page, reading the contents underneath 'The origin of the Mackled Malaclaw'.

'Glad to see you're enjoying my gift.' Lysander casually walked into the compartment, Lorcan trailing behind. 'Mackled Malaclaw eh, causes quite a lot of misfortune.'

'Thanks again.' Diane smiled as Lysander dusted off the spot next to her before sitting down, placing his caged owl on the ground between his legs.

Both Lorcan and his cat Calcifer jumped up as the door to their compartment slid open with a loud clunck. Lloyd stomped in and dropped into the seat next to the shorter haired twin. 

'I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts.' He sighed loudly. 'Dad's been going on and on about focusing on my grades instead of music. God, it's driving me mental!' 

'From what my dad told me, Lee wasn't a star pupil either.' Roxanne chuckled as she entered the compartment, softly closing the door after letting Saoirse in behind her. 'I'll have my dad talk to him, don't worry about it too much.' 

'You're telling me your dad is not constantly on your case about getting better grades?' Lloyd exclaimed, quite unable to believe such a thing. 

'He knows forcing me won't change anything. Besides, he didn't even graduate.' Roxanne lightly shook her head, grinning. 'If he tells me off for having bad grades, I always kindly remind him of that little fact.' 

The villages started getting scarcer and the hills steeper as the train soon reached Hogsmeade station. The students were transported to their second home by the 'horseless' carriages once again. 

During Diane's third welcoming feast, she noticed one of the teachers was missing from the long staff table at the front of the great hall. 

'Dear students. To our newest pupils, welcome to Hogwarts! To all others, welcome back! You will by now have noticed the absence of one of our most trusted professors, Professor Filius Flitwick. He has sadly retired, and wanted me to wish you all good luck with your further education. Your new charms teacher, professor Fabian Fernsby, will arrive at the castle tomorrow morning. You can all retire to your rooms now, get in a good nights sleep before classes start.' 

With this said, headmistress Mcgonagall returned to the staff table and continued her chat with professor Sinistra.

✰✰✰

That same night, Lloyd persuaded Diane into sneaking off to the music room after curfew. It was like he was addicted to the instruments and music.

As they flung open the tall door and entered the dusty room, they were surprised to see their two Hufflepuff friends already inside. 

Lorcan was seated on the ground with a guitar in his lap, silently strumming the strings and writing down chords in an old leathery notebook every few seconds. 

Saoirse was walking around the room, opening every drawer and closet door she could find. All the while, singing the lyrics of a songs they had come up with last year. 

When they saw the Slytherins enter, they both looked up and grinned widely. 

'What are you lads doing here?' Lloyd smiled, picking up one of the many dusty guitars and sitting down opposite Lorcan. 

'Dunno, Saoirse said she wanted to come.' Lorcan glanced at Saoirse. 'Said it couldn't wait till tomorrow.' 

'I can't explain why, I've just got a feeling that I needed to be here tonight.' Saoirse stated, not looking up from the desk drawer she had just drew open. 

'What are you doing anyways?' Diane walked over to the desk, peering over Saoirse's shoulder at the drawer's empty interior. 

'I've got this odd feeling that I need to find something tonight.' She replied. Diane turned around and gave Lorcan a questioning look, but he just shrugged and went back to strumming the strings of his guitar. 'Er- Okay, I'll help you.' Diane offered.

She didn't really think they would find anything interesting. She just wanted Saoirse's search to be over with as soon as possible, as her behaviour was beginning to scare Diane. 

She looked on every shelve of every dresser standing in the room. Clearing out the drawers of old wooden desks while being serenaded by Lloyd, who had begun playing menacing piano tunes every time Diane would open a door or drawer. 

She quickly gave up on her search, as everything she had been able to find up until now had been either dead insects or torn up peaces of parchment. She was about to halt Saoirse's frantic searching just as the Hufflepuff let out a loud gasp. 

'I knew it!' She called out. In her hands, she held a thick red book. Upon opening it, there weren't any pages but rather one large compartment. Hidden inside it was an old rusty compass-looking device. 

All four of them were huddled over the book, staring at the strange object. Saoirse reached out to pick it up. As soon as she did, a sentence appeared across its back. 

'Acquire your desire' 

'Acquire you desire... What the bloody hell does that mean?' Lloyd questioned. 

'Dunno. Must be something important though, if it was hidden so thoroughly.' Lorcan replied. 

'Maybe it's some kind of riddle?' Diane studied the compass. 'Why do these things always have to be so cryptic.' 

The rest of the evening was spent gathered around the compass, trying to figure out its use. Lloyd and Lorcan were strong believers of their theory that it was just any regular compass. The two conspiring girl thought differently. But what exactly it did, they could not seem to figure out. 

A very strange thing happened when they each held it in their hands. It seemed to act normal when Saoirse held it. But as soon as someone else even touched it, it began spinning uncontrollably. 

It was as if it only responded to Saoirse, as if it had decided upon the brown haired girl as its master. 

Saoirse decided to keep it hidden at the bottom of her suitcase in her dorm room for now. 

✰✰✰

The next day, their new charms teacher arrived at the school as promised. Diane and Lloyd had the pleasure of being in one of his first classes.

'Hello everyone!' A scruffy looking, tall guy walked into the classroom. He looked twenty and fifty years old at the same time, depending on the expression he carried on his face. 'You lot are the fifth years then?' 

'Er- we're third years, sir.' A students uttered somewhere behind Diane. 

'Right, right. Must've misread.' He muttered as he fished a worn down book out of his bag. 'If you'll all turn your books to page twenty five.' He flipped through his own copy of The standard book of spells - grade 3 , a confused expression written across his face. 'No, it'll be page twelve.'

The students tried to keep up with his constant changing of the page. Ultimately, he gave up and ordered them all to find the chapter on the cheering charm themselves. 

The rest of the lecture was equally as chaotic. In the middle of their lesson, the professor suddenly started teaching them the incantation to the water-making spell aguamenti. Which they weren't meant to be learning until sixth year. 

in the end, they did manage to master the cheering charm. Although they had to teach themselves, seeing as their disorganised professor was no help. 

'I'm professor Fernsby, by the way!' He called out as the students were already exiting the classroom. 

'If he's always going to teach like that, I'll be mad by the time term ends.' Lloyd exclaimed once they rounded the corner to their history of magic classroom. 

'I already miss Professor Flitwick.' Diane sighed.


	16. Toxic tragedy

## TOXIC TRAGEDY

Diane soon had her first Care of Magical Creatures lesson. They didn't do much except go over the contents of the class. Hagrid briefly brought out a bowtruckle before the end, so they could see what they would be dealing with in their next few lectures. 

The tiny stick-like figure stood with its minuscule arms crossed over its chest. Its beady eyes studying the students lined up before it. 

Upon hearing multiple students loudly chant 'Aww', the bowtruckle angrily retreated inside Hagrid's cloak pocket. 

The next morning, Diane walked towards the great hall for breakfast with Lloyd. Already expecting their friends to be there, seeing as they got up fairly late. 

As they settled into their usual spot at the Hufflepuff table, Diane quickly noticed Saoirse's absence. 

'Where's Saoirse?' She questioned as soon as she sat down. 

'Dunno, I was waiting for her in the common room but she never turned up. Figured she's just sleeping in today.' Lorcan stated, stuffing some toast into his mouth unbothered.

'I think we should go check on her.' Daine suggested. 'She's never missed breakfast before, has she?' 

Lorcan and Diane quickly got up and scurried to the Hufflepuff common room. Making their way through the round wooden doors and ultimately arriving before Saoirse's dorm room. 

Diane knocked a few times, but no answer came. She let herself in and saw Saoirse laying in her bed, the covers pulled up to her ears. 

She let out a sigh of relief and chuckled as she motioned for Lorcan to come in silently. She sneaked up to Saoirse's bed and softly pushed her shoulders exclaiming 'Boo!'. 

Saoirse did not move in the slightest. Her body felt cold and Diane could see sweat dripping down the girls forehead. 

She tried shaking her a couple of times, repeating her name over and over. Lorcan joining her. But Saoirse stayed absolutely motionless. 

'We've got to get her to madam Pomfrey.' Diane said, trying to stay as calm as possible. 

Lorcan's face was struck with an expression of horror. He seemed frozen in place until Diane ordered him to pick up Saoirse's unconscious body. 

They bolted to the hospital wing, banging the doors open and calling out to madam Pomfrey. 

'Oh dear, what happened?' The old witch asked as she motioned for Lorcan to put Saoirse's limp body down on one of the beds. 

'I-I don't know.' Diane tried saying, worry and anxiety starting to envelop her. 'When she didn't turn up for breakfast, w-we went to check up on her. We found her like this.' 

The two teens stood staring at Saoirse's still figure for what felt like ages. Madam Pomfrey rushing to feed her all kinds of potions and concotions. 

'Is- is she going to be okay?' Diane finally dared asking. She didn't know if she was ready to receive a negative answer. 

'She'll be just fine, dear. She owes you her life. Had you found her even a few minutes later, the consequences could have been drastically worse.' The witch said as she shone her illuminated wand into Saoirse's eyes. 

'What happened to her?' Lorcan asked, his voice shaking. 

'Miss Finnigan-Thomas seems to have been poisoned. How this could occur is as much a mystery to me as it is to you.' She explained. 

At that moment professor McGonagall strode through the large doors at the entrance of the hospital wing, hurriedly making her way towards them. Her face was as serious as could be. 

Diane could see her stern front slightly crack as she took in the unconscious body of their friend. 

'How could this happen Poppy?' She asked Madam Pomfrey.

'Oh Minerva, I have no idea. Mrs Finnigan-Thomas is lucky her friends found her when they did.' 

'Right.' McGonagall turned to face Lorcan and Diane. 'You two can proceed to your classes, we will notify you of any further changes in Mrs. Finnigan-Thomas's condition.' 

'But-' Diane started. 'No buts Mrs. Albury, now hurry along you two!' McGonagall ordered, her stern facade once more intact. 

Lorcan and Diane had no other choice than to return to their curious friends in the great hall. Lorcan was a bit too shaken to retell the event, so Diane took it upon herself to break the news. 

The day went by extremely slow. Every few minutes Diane's mind would wander to her poisoned friend. Thoughts of what could have happened had they not found her in time swarming her mind. 

The others seemed equally as concerned. She often found Lloyd staring off into the distance or burying his face in his hands. They barely spoke to one another, except for the occasional 'You think she's okay?'.

After classes ended, Lloyd and Diane hurried to the hospital wing. To her greatest relief Saoirse was already sitting up, sipping from a cup and smilingly talking to two men that sat beside her. 

Lloyd went over to them first, shaking their hands. He then introduced Diane. 

'Ah, so this is the famous Diane Albury eh?' The tallest of the two said, giving Diane a sweet smile. 'Saoirse's told us all about you.' 

Diane quickly sat down next to her friend. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm feeling fine Diane, thanks for coming to check up on me. Madam Pomfrey told me all about your's and Lorcan's heroics.' She chuckled. 'Wouldn't be here without you.' 

'Thank you, Diane.' The smaller man said, finally looking away from his daughter. His face was still lined with worry and he looked fairly tired. 

Madam Pomfrey ordered Saoirse to stay in the hospital wing a while longer, much to the Hufflepuff's protest. 

Diane would stay with her the whole night if she could, but she was practically kicked out a few minutes before curfew. 

She was just about to round the corner to the dungeons when she heard a booming voice echoing from outside the potions classroom. 

She flattened herself against the cold wall and immediately recognised the voices of both professor Zabini and professor Whitelock. 

'Listen, I was just taking a few-' Whitelock defended himself. 

'You're not fooling anyone Otis, We both know you're up to something.' professor Zabini tried whispering, but his voice grew louder and angrier by the second. 

'As I was saying, I was merely lending some ingredients for demonstration purposes.' Professor Whitelock went on, keeping his voice calm and silent. 

'Yeah right, What've got potion ingredients to do with history classes?' Zabini sneered. 'Don't let me see you down here again, Whitelock.' 

Nothing more was said, Diane kept her back pressed against the wall until she was sure the corridor was empty. 

She heard the door to Professor Zabini's office close with a loud bang and hurriedly made her way to the Slytherin common room. 

She entered her room and leaned against the door for a while, letting her mind process what she'd heard. 

'Er- Are you alright Diane?' A voice sounded from somewhere in the room. Diane had forgotten that she actually shared this room with other people. 

'Oh, uhm yeah. I'm just worried about Saoirse is all.' She quickly said, walking towards her bed and falling down onto the soft sheets. 

'It's really terrible what happened to her.' Leanne said, placing herself on Diane's bed. 'If there's anything I can do let me know, alright.' She offered, patting Diane on the shoulder. 

Diane was thankful to have at least one friendly roommate. She hadn't even had one decent conversation with the other girls over the last two years.


	17. Deadly detention

## DEADLY DETENTION

Saoirse made a speedy recovery and was able to continue with classes the very next day, although she didn't have much of an appetite until a few days later.

How she had gotten poisoned, they still hadn't figured out. They didn't know wether it had happened on accident or if someone had done it on purpose. 

They couldn't think of a single person who would want to bring harm upon the sweet Hufflepuff student. So they ultimately decided to put their trust in the theory that she'd ingested some accidentally.

Saoirse brushed off all the worried students and didn't want any pity from anyone, especially her own friends. 

She distracted herself from the disturbing fact that she'd been poisoned by focussing on the compass.

She'd begged Diane to join her on one of her strolls around the castle, following the direction the needle of the compass pointed to. 

Lorcan had gotten tired after accompanying her every evening for a whole week, seeing as these searches usually amounted to nothing.

Diane was now walking alongside her, the two making their way down one of the moving staircases and walking out the entrance of the castle.

They followed the direction the needle was pointing in, nearly making two whole laps around the castle before being led back inside. 

'Saoirse, I don't think we're going to find anything.' Diane suggested after walking up and down the same staircase three times. 

'It has to be really close now, hasn't it?' Saoirse questioned, ignoring Diane's comment. 'I'm sure of it.' 

'You've said that four times in the last hour.' Diane sighed, sitting down on one of the lowest steps of the staircase. 

'I just don't want to give up on it yet.' Saoirse sat down next to Diane, stuffing the compass in her pocket. 'I feel like it chose me... Like I have to find out what it's pointing to.'

'We'll find out eventually.' Diane patted her friend on the shoulder comfortingly. 'We better get back to our common rooms, it's nearly curfew.' 

The two made their way back downward. Saoirse on her way to the kitchens in the basement and Diane to the dungeons. 

On their way they passed the still occupied library. As Diane glanced inside, she caught a glimpse of Parker. 

'Er- You go ahead Saoirse, I've got a book I want to lend while the library's still open. Good night!' She quickly hugged her friend and strode into the library. 

'Good night!' She heard Saoirse call out before she rounded a corner, proceeding her return to the Hufflepuff common room. 

She figured now was as good a time as any to confront Parker, she'd promised herself last year to help the girl after all. 

Diane confidently strode towards the table where Parker was intently reading a book on hexes and curses. 

Slightly disgruntled by the subjects the girl who disliked her was reading up on, she took a seat opposite her. 

Parker closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before turning her attention to Diane. 

'What do you want?' She sneered silently. 

Diane had not thought this through. How could she possible bring up the subject of that one embarrassing night without making Parker cross again. 

'Er-I wanted to talk to you. About, y' know, that one night?' She whispered. 

'I've got nothing to say to you.' Parker quickly stated before bringing her eyes back to her book, ignoring Diane's existence. 

'Look, I know what you're going through. I want to help you.' She whispered.

This had quite the opposite effect than what she'd expected. 

The girl slammed her book shut and rose from her chair. 'You know nothing of what I'm going through.'

'N-no I didn't mean it like that, I-' Before she could finish her sentence Parker had already started stomping away. 

Diane shot up and hurried after her, grabbing her by the arm to try and get her attention. 

What she hadn't noticed however, was that Parker had already withdrawn her wand and was pointing it threateningly at Diane. 

'Densaugeo' Parker muttered. 

Diane started feeling a weird sensation in her mouth. Her two front teeth were starting to grow at an alarming rate. She tried to cover her mouth with her hands, but nothing seemed to stop the horrendous growth. 

Parker started walking away, a satisfied smile on her face. 

'Colloshoo' Diane said after procuring her own wand. She was able to pronounce the spell surprisingly well despite her now exceptionally large teeth. 

Parker froze in place, she tried to move but her feet seemed glued to the ground underneath. 

'How dare you!' She exclaimed as she tried to turn around to face Diane. 

'Just 'isten for a secon', I 'ust want to- .' Diane tried saying. 

'Silencio' Parker shouted. 

Diane could no longer produce any sounds. She tried to shout and scream but nothing could be heard. 

The two stood there, staring furiously at each other. 

It wasn't long before Madam Pince strutted towards them, as they had made exceeding amounts of noise. She was followed by a confused looking professor Fernsby. 

'Get out!' The librarian yell-whispered. 

'I can't' Parker said through gritted teeth, motioning to her feet who would not move. 

'Miss Albury, did you do this?' Professor Fernsby questioned. 

Diane started talking and pointing at Parker, but soon realised this wouldn't amount to much. 

Fernsby gasped loudly, slapping a hand to his mouth as if he was watching a thrilling sports event. Then quickly realised he was a teacher and cleared his throat. 

'Detention for both of you! Saturday seven p.m, my office.' He stated before starting to walk away. 

'What about my situation here?' Parker angrily motioned to her feet again. 

'Oh yes, very sorry.' Fernsby mumbled before flicking his wand a few times. 

Diane's teeth immediately shrunk to their normal size and her voice returned. Parker's feet were freed from the ground as well. 

Despite being a complete mess Fernsby was a very gifted wizard, Diane thought.

✰✰✰

At exactly seven p.m that Saturday evening, Diane was standing outside professor Fernsby's office. Parker standing several feet behind her. Diane didn't dare look her in the eye.

She rapidly knocked on the door and stepped back again. 

'Come in!' A muffled voice sounded from the inside. 

Diane and Parker shuffled inside, still not looking in each others direction. 

'Good evening girls, what can I do for you tonight?' Professor Fernsby stopped rummaging through his bag and turned to face them. 

Diane eyed Parker, who looked equally as confused. 'Er- You gave us detention, sir.' 

'Oh, right!' He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. 'I suppose I can find something for you to do, let me just, er-' He looked around his office, looking for something they could keep busy with.

'You know what, You lot can come with me.' Fernsby turned around to grab three empty bottles, handing them one each. 'I was just planning on collecting some freshwater aquatic plants for my... Er- project.' 

Diane and Parker followed their professor outside, clenching their empty bottles tightly. 

They quickly arrived at the great lake, the sun already starting to settle beyond the horizon. 

Fernsby rolled up the legs of his pants, walking into the cold waters of the lake. 'You see these?' he said as he held up a dripping green plant. 'I want you to try and collect a few.' 

Diane glanced at Parker, who was already removing her shoes and socks. An annoyed expression on her face. 

She mimicked her actions and soon the two were knee deep into the chilly water, using the light shining from the tip of their wands to search for the small green plants. 

'I'm sorry.' Diane mumbled. 'This is my fault.' 

'Damn right it is.' Parker scoffed, keeping her eyes on the dark waters below. 

'I was just trying to help.' Diane sighed. 'I-I shouldn't have interfered with whatever is going on in your life.' 

Parker stayed silent, her annoyed expression softening a bit. 

They searched the inky waters for a while longer, Diane strongly feeling the need to keep a conversation going. 

'So, how's quidditch?' She asked. But she got no answer back. 'Look, I know you don't like me. But that doesn't mean we-' 

Diane had turned around to face Parker, but the girl was no where to be seen. 

A few feet to her left professor Fernsby was still digging through the water, not paying attention to anything else. 

At first she thought Parker had gotten so sick of her that she'd just left. But then, as she was gazing at the surface of the black lake, A few bubbles rose up not far from her. 

Parker's face broke the surface of the water as she gulped air, thrashing her arms. To Diane's horror, she realised that the girl was trying to swim away from something.

'DIANE!' Parker shouted just before she was pulled back under the water. 

Diane didn't hesitate for even a second. She began to jump and swim towards the spot where Parker had disappeared beneath the pitch black surface. 

'PARKER!' She shouted as she physically tried separating the water. She dove under a few times, but to no avail. 

She was now standing still, observing the water for any movements. Panic and worry overtook her whole body. 

The quiet and stillness of the water was broken as Parker's hand shot up into the air. 

Diane grabbed it firmly and pulled. They swam for what felt like hours before finally reaching the dry edge, where they collapsed next to each other. Their chests quickly rising and falling. 

'Thank you.' Parker said after catching her breath, facing Diane. 

'You're welcome.' She smiled. And for the first time ever, she saw Parker smile back. 

'Blimey, what happened to you guys?' A clueless professor Fernsby walked up to them. 

Parker and Diane just looked at one another and burst out laughing.


	18. Haunting hogsmeade

## HAUNTING HOGSMEADE

As the nights grew longer and the castle colder, winter neared. 

one December morning, Diane noticed a group of elder students fussing over a new paper pinned to the notice board in the Slytherin common room. 

'Hogsmeade - Saturday December 12th'

'Brilliant!' Lloyd exclaimed as he approached Diane, his eyes glued to the paper. 'I'm going down to breakfast, you coming?'

The great hall was filled with fussing teens. No doubt discussing the upcoming Saturday. A few first year students sat sour faced at the far end of the Hufflepuff table as Lloyd and Diane took a seat. 

'You've all got permission to go right?' Lorcan asked after a lengthy explanation of the things he was planning to do in the small town. 

The teens all nodded enthusiastically. Even Diane had gotten permission from her parents by owl just a few weeks before. 

The weekend quickly arrived. Lloyd and Diane were making their way up to the entrance of the castle. 

Diane wore all the winter garments she could gather. Her green Slytherin scarf, a new woolen green beanie and her second-hand black gloves. 

Saoirse, Lorcan and Lysander came trudging through the snow. Roxanne followed behind, chatting to a girl Diane had only seen in passing. 

'This is Cassia Evans.' Roxanne slightly shoved the ginger haired Gryffindor forward. 'Do you guys mind if she joins us?' 

'Not at all!' Saoirse yelped. 'Hi I'm Saoirse!'. She yelped, her voices sounding somehow an octave higher than normal as she shook the girls hand. 

The group introduced themselves to the smiling girl. Cassia was a bit smaller than Diane, but standing next to Roxanne she seemed incredibly tiny. 

She had the most gorgeous ginger hair and her nose was dotted with small freckles. 

Diane was surprised to hear Cassia's first name was not followed by the last name 'Weasley'. 

The group walked towards Hogsmeade through the fierce cold, their hands burried in their pockets and noses covered up by scarves. 

The first stop they made was a cosy pub called the three broomsticks. This slightly threw Lorcan's planning off since he wanted to go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes first. 

They took up a spot next to the large fireplace, trying to warm themselves up a bit. Diane had her very first butterbeer, much to the amazement of the others. 

When The teens could feel their feet again, they decided to stroll around the village. They visited Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Which Diane discovered rather late, was owned by Roxanne's dad and uncle. 

Roxanne told her the men wouldn't be there, however. Her dad was much more fonder of his shop in Diagon Alley, the one he had started up with his brother. They'd also been able to hire a large amount of employees, which permitted them more days off. 

As they were sitting on a bench just outside of the small town, Saoirse fished an object with a familiar golden shine out of her pocket. 

'I'm trying the compass again.' She announced. 'Who wants to come with me?' 

Her question was met with loud sighs and eye rolling. 

'I'll come with you!' Cassia exclaimed excitedly. Alas Saoirse had found a new victim. 

'I'll come too.' Diane sighed, not wanting to disappoint her friend. She wanted to do some more sightseeing anyway. 

'When we're done here, we can get something to eat. I'm starving.' Saoirse said, her eyes glued to the small black pointer behind the milky coloured glass of the compass. 

The girls didn't walk long before they stood before a sweets shop called honeydukes, the compass pointing right at its front door. 

'This has to be it!' Saoirse squealed as she held open the door to the shop for the others to enter. 

They followed the pointer to the back of the shop. Where Saoirse stopped before a shelve filled with small boxes. 

'What?' Saoirse looked up at the contents of the shelves, then back down at the compass. 'I-I don't understand.' 

On closer inspection, Diane made out the inscription of the boxes. 'Extreme hunger? Extreme appetite? One bonbon replaces an entire meal!' 

'why would it...oh-OH!' 

'What? what is it?' Saoirse turned around, a worried expression on her face. 

'You just said you were hungry didn't you? And look where it lead you!' Diane pointed at the round boxes resting on the shelves behind them. 'Aquire your desire. It literally leads you to what you desire!' 

'Oh my god, of course!' Saoirse shouted before hugging Diane. 'You're so smart!' 

A lot of heads were turned in their direction as they squealed loudly. Cassia stood at their side, grinning widely. 

Eventhough she had no clue of what was going on, she seemed genuinely happy for Saoirse. 

They ran back to the others, who were still cramped together on the small bench. Saoirse stumbled over her words as she excitedly explained their revelation. 

'So it only works for you?' Lysander asked, highly intrigued by the small device that was laying in his hands. It was once again spinning uncontrollably. 

'I think so.' Saoirse said as Lysander handed the object back to her, The pointer immediately stilling and pointing North. 

They were all huddled over the compass as running footsteps approached them. 

'Rox! Have you seen the map?' Albus Potter appeared at their side, wide eyed and panting heavily. 

'What map?' She asked the terrified 4th year. 

'You know, the map.' He exclaimed. 'The one your dad gave to mine. The one James nicked from my dad's office.' 

'Oh!' Roxanne drawled. 'Haven't seen it since James was showing it off to some Ravenclaw girls last year.' 

'He did what?' Albus scoffed. 'Anyway, it's gone. I think James just lost it, you know how he is. But he swears someone must've stolen it.' 

'I'll keep my eyes peeled then.' Roxanne offered. 'And so will they.' She inclined her head towards the six teens standing beside her. They all silently nodded, despite half of them not knowing what the two were talking about. 

'Thanks Rox. See ya!' He called out before he ran of in the direction of the town. 

'Well anyway, who wants to go to the shrieking shack.' Lloyd clapped his hands. 

Saoirse, Cassia and Lorcan kindly declined. Lysander and Roxanne however, seemed a bit too eager. 

'Diane'll come too!' Lysander linked arms with her. 'Please don't make me third wheel with these two.' He silently pleaded. 

On the way there, the three teens did their best to scare Diane. Their story's didn't match at all, which just made her laugh. 

'And It's called the shrieking shack because those poor souls are forever trapped inside.' Roxanne ended her long story about the history of the abandoned house. 

'No it isn't, The shrieking comes from the walls of the house because it was built on a burial site.' Lloyd countered. 

'I heard the shrieking was actually just Teddy's dad. They put him here when he transformed on the full moon.' Lysander explained. 'His screams and howls was what the locals heard and described as shrieking.' 

'Professor Lupin's dad?' Diane asked. 'That was ages ago wasn't it?' 

'It's been a while, that's for sure.' Lloyd stated. 

They arrived at a big clearing from where the shaky house and crumbling walls were fully visible. Although Diane didn't believe any of the ghost story's, she couldn't deny it's exterior made her feel quite uneasy. 

After coming up with a dozen more theory's as to why the home was left abandoned. The four trudged back through the snow toward the village. 

On the way there they passed a group of 6th year Ravenclaws, who were huddled together discussing something. 

Diane began feeling very uncomfortable as one of the boys kept glancing at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 

out of the blue, Diane eyesight vanished for a short period. She slipped on the thick snow before her and fell forward into a puddle of mud. 

The Ravenclaw students passed them, laughing hysterically. Diane could see the boy slip his wand back in his pocket and give her a menacing look. 

'What was that?' Lysander asked as he heaved her up. Behind her, Lloyd was trying to stifle a laugh of his own. 

'It was that boy, he jinxed me or something. I couldn't see anything.' She murmured as she tried wiping the mud from her coat, her cheeks red from embarrassment. 

Lysander Angrily pointed his wand in the direction of the still snickering Ravenclaws. 

'Flipendo' 

The boy who'd jinxed Diane received a jinx of his own as he suddenly toppled over and fell to the ground. Two of his friends tripped over his body and dropped down next to him.

The girl who stood closest to them furiously snapped her head around. Fuming as she took in Lysander's satisfied smirk. 'You dirty-' 

'Melofors' Lysander lazily flicked his wand. 

The girl's head was suddenly encased in a pumpkin. She flailed her arms in all directions, hitting a few of her still standing friends in the process. 

The group quickly scrambled away, guiding their pumpkin-headed friend. 

'That was amazing!' Diane exclaimed, having fully forgotten she was covered head to toe in mud. 'But they're bound to tell a teacher, aren't they,'

'Scourgify' Lysander pointed his wand at Diane. All the dirt disappearing from her clothing at once. 'I don't care about detention. Nobody treats my best friend like that.'


	19. Terrific term

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of year 3

## TERRIFIC TERM

The unlucky Ravenclaw students who had been hit by Lysander's jinxes tattled on him. Not to their head of house unfortunately, but directly to the headmistress herself.

Professor McGonagall thought it fitting to give Lysander a weekly detention, up until the end of the school year. Not only had he jinxed students, he had also performed magic outside of school grounds. 

Sadly, these detentions coincided with his quidditch practices multiple times. Which made the captain consider letting him go. 

Diane was on her way to plead with the 5th year Ravenclaw captain. She'd do anything for Lysander to keep his spot on the team, she knew how much it meant to him. 

Before she reached the quidditch pitch where she knew the Ravenclaws were gearing up for yet another practice, she was stopped by someone. 

'Hey! Are you Diane?' Someone behind her called out. 

'Er- Yeah.' Diane said as a girl approached her. 

The Ravenclaw's cheeks were pink from the cold, she wore her dark hair up in a neat ponytail. A twinkle shone in her light blue eyes and her lips were curled in a kind smile. The sun reflected brightly on her silver-and-blue prefect badge. 

'I heard what some of my fellow Ravenclaws did to you in Hogsmeade, I'm terribly sorry!' She started. 'I made sure they got the detention they deserved. Oh, I also spoke with the headmistress. She's going to reduce your friend's detentions, although I don't justify what he did.' 

'Oh, thank you! Er- how did you know?' Diane asked.

'I heard them bragging about jinxing you in our common room.' She stated. 'I'll have you know that I do not tolerate bullying in the slightest!' 

'Yeah, neither do I.' Diane glanced around, feeling slightly intimidated by the elder student's presence. 'Why did they do it?' 

'Wish I knew, these pricks probably feel powerful tormenting young muggleborns.' The girl scoffed. 'Don't worry about it though, I'm muggleborn too.'

Diane stared at the ground and smiled softly. She never understood why people like her and the girl standing before her were looked down on. She was a witch, just like them, wasn't she? 

'My name's Theodora, by the way.' The Ravenclaw extended her hand. 'Theodora Dursley.' 

'Nice to meet you.' Diane said as she shook Theodora's hand. 'Could you maybe do me another favour and convince the quidditch captain to keep my friend on the team?' 

'I'll see what I can do.' Theodora smiled sweetly before skipping over to the pitch. 

Thanks to the kind words of Theodora, Lysander was able to keep his position of seeker after all. His detentions were shortened as well, but he didn't really seem to care much. He didn't regret his actions in the slightest. On the contrary, he was actually pretty proud of what he'd done. 

He could usually be seen walking from class to class followed by a group of giggling girls, proudly telling them about his endeavour in Hogsmeade. 

His fan group of girls weren't the only ones who fancied chatting with Lysander between classes. Diane noticed Lysander's arm draped around the shoulder of a new boy nearly every week. 

She felt slightly bad for these people, seeing as Lysander flirted with every living thing in existence.

✰✰✰

The rest of the school year went much like Diane's previous years. 

She stayed at the castle during Christmas break and spring break. Enjoying the occasional chat with Haru, who was still happily together with David. 

The two Slytherin prefects were seventh years now, so Diane took advantage of the time she still had with her friend before she would graduate. 

The warmer months of spring and early summer brought with them the annual exam stress. 

Diane had scored well on nearly all of her classes. Exceptionally well even, on charms and history of magic. 

One of the subjects professor Whitelock had covered this year were the Medieval witch hunts.

The intimidating man had his own specific way of teaching. He would go over the texts their history books covered first, after which he would debunk certain sayings and give his own interpretation of the described events. 

Where he got these very detailed story's, Diane unfortunately didn't know. Nonetheless, she was happy to have him as her teacher instead of the previous professor, Binns. She had heard stories of students quite literally falling asleep on their text-books during his lectures. 

Herbology still wasn't her strong suit. Especially de-fanging vampiric vegetation, where she'd nearly lost a finger. 

Another splendid year ended as the teens heaved their suitcases down the luggage rack of the Hogwarts Express. Bart excitedly hooted in his cage while Calcifer eyed him as if he would make a very satisfying meal. 

Diane stayed in the small compartment a little longer, gazing out onto the packed platform. The expressions of many adult were slightly more worried than when she'd last seen them. Some seemed extremely tired as they tried putting on happy faces for their children. 

Diane wondered wether something was happening, it seemed almost as thought the adults were trying to hide something from them. Not like hiding a gift or exciting family gossip, but something that almost seemed to drain them. 

'Everything alright, D?' Roxanne stuck her head inside the carriage. 'I'd get out now before the train takes you back to Hogwarts.' She chuckled. 

'Yeah, probably should.' She smiled

'Hey, I know it's pretty early.' Roxanne started. 'But I wondered if you would like to join me next Christmas.'

'Like, spend christmas at your home?' Diane asked. 'Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding? I mean there's already so many of you.' 

'They wouldn't mind.' Roxanne chuckled. 'I'll ask my parents once were home.' 

'Thanks a lot Rox.' Diane hugged her friend tightly. 'Already looking forward to it!'

Together they exited the train and Diane waved them goodbye one last time before disappearing through the magical barrier dividing platform nine and ten. Joining her parents on the muggle side of the station.


	20. Lengthy letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> first chapter of year 4

## LENGTHY LETTERS

Hiya D!

How are you doing? I asked my mum and dad about Christmas and they said it's not a problem!

All the kids are staying at our grandparents's house during the break, our parents will only be there for Christmas. 

Be prepared for a LOT of Weasleys. Hope you don't mind!

love, Rox.

✰✰✰

Hola Diane.

Haven't written in a while, I'm sorry. I've been busy at Mahoutokoro (wizarding school of Japan), lots of cool stuff here. Did you know their cloaks change colour based on the magical experience they have?

Anyway, I do miss you and wish we could meet up soon. (say hi to the others for me!)

Much love, Ezequiel.

✰✰✰

Diane read the letters over one more time before stuffing them under her pillowcase. 

The messages they contained were not monumental or particularly notable, but Diane still couldn't believe she had actual friends that wrote to her and everything. 

She'd always been more of a lonely child. When she was much younger and unaware of her magical ability, her fellow peers wouldn't come near her. 

There had been a rumour going around that she could crush objects with her mind, that you should definitely steer clear of Daft Diane.

All of this just because she had crumpled a can of coke solely by looking at it. She hadn't been able to help herself, the boys at her school would always try to catch squirrels and do terrible things to them. 

That particular day, her temper had gotten the best of her. At least the students didn't dare come near the poor squirrels again. 

she'd all blamed it on the wind in that moment. Seemed silly, looking back at it now. 

Lloyd met her at the bottom of the stairs in the Slytherin common room and walked her to breakfast. The boy had grown a lot over the summer, and was now finally taller than Roxanne. He'd even outgrown the twins by a few inches, who were already fairly tall themselves. 

The only one who didn't seem to be gaining much height, was Saoirse. Her body changed and so did her face, but her height stayed much the same to that in second grade. Diane found this very endearing.

As she and Lorcan came walking up to them, she seemed especially tiny. Her head barely reached Lorcan's shoulder.

The last one to join them at the breakfast table the first morning of term was Roxanne. Surprisingly, she was not alone. 

She approached the table hand in hand with the popular Jasper Remington. Who, Diane must admit, had also grown quite handsome over the summer. 

She gave his hand a squeeze and kissed his cheek before separating and taking her usual spot at the Hufflepuff table. 

'So, you and Jasper?' Diane teased, cocking her head and wiggling her eyebrows. 

'Yeah, me and Jasper.' Roxanne smiled and blushed lightly, not taking her eyes of the floating cereals in front of her. 

'Don't like him.' Lloyd suddenly chimed in. 'Remember what he and his loony sister did to Lorcan first year?' 

'They don't do that sort of thing anymore.' Roxanne explained slightly annoyed. 'Anyway, why do you care who I go out with?' 

'I don't' He mumbled, jabbing a piece of toast with his knife.

'D, are you trying out for your quidditch team this year?' Lysander asked, trying to defuse the awkward tension. 'Heard there's a spot open for a chaser.' 

'Oh, I don't know yet.' Diane sighed. 'I don't think I'm that good anyway.' 

'That's rubbish.' Saoirse stated. 'You were good second year too, Parker was just better.' she grimaced slightly as she said this. 

'What's going on between you and Parker anyway?' Lorcan questioned. 

'What d'you mean?' Diane quickly asked, nearly choking on her pancake. 

'I saw her smiling at you on the train yesterday. That's weird, innit?' Lorcan questioned. 

'Especially for someone like Parker Pucey.' Lloyd added. 'She hates everyone, she even dislikes me. Can you believe that?' 

'I'm sure it's nothing.' Lysander stated, noticing Diane's flustered expression. 'Still think you should try out for chaser though.' 

A few weeks later, that's exactly what she did. 

She'd put her hair up in a neat ponytail so it couldn't get in the way this time, feeling the chill autumn breeze blowing on her neck. 

When the signal was given, Diane shot up in the air. 

Except for the occasional cheer from her five friends huddled together in the stands, the pitch was fairly calm. This time around she could finally focus on the Quaffle undisturbed. 

She scored a total of five times. Which was definitely more than any other student trying out. 

'The new chaser we'll be taking on is Diane Albury, congrats.' The captain stated, again scratching of other students names from his lengthy list. Only this time, it wasn't Diane's name he would be pulling a black line through. 

'Hey.' A voice called as she walked off towards the changing rooms.

Diane turned around to see Parker standing behind her. 'You played well.' The girl said, looking down at her shoes. 

'Er-thanks?' Diane muttered.

'Well.' Parker sighed as she extended her hand. 'Welcome on the team.' 

The two girls shook hands, looking each other in the eye for a bit too long. 

'I should er-' Diane cleared her throat and walked off to the dressing room.

✰✰✰

The following months leading up to the winter break sped by incredibly fast. If Diane wasn't doing homework, she was attending quidditch practices or matches. The groups study session in the library seemed to be getting shorter by the day. 

Lloyd, Lorcan and Saoirse frequently visited the music room. Brainstorming over lyrics for their newest songs or just enjoying the carrying tunes of the instruments. Roxanne was busy with other activities, which mostly included Jasper Remington. Diane and Lysander stuck together a lot and would attend each others quidditch practices as well as matches. 

Diane was around the boy so much that she had become his chaperone. Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon during the Ravenclaw quidditch practices, she would receive notes from boys and girl alike. Telling her to 'Give this to Lysander, will you?' or the occasional 'You're friends with Scamander right, mind slipping this in his bag?' 

During their last defence against the dark arts class, Diane went over all his possible suitors during hex-deflection and counter-curses practice. 

'What about her.' Diane subtly pointed to a blonde haired Slytherin who was eyeing Lysander rather obviously.

'Titillando' Lysander spoke. Which Diane quickly countered with 'finite'.

'Not really my type.' He shrugged.

'But you didn't even look at her.' Diane exclaimed. 'Rigardum Auriculum'.

'Salvio hexia' He muttered, flicking his wand. 'I don't need to, I've already chosen someone.' 

'Chosen someone.' Diane scoffed. 'You can't just choose someone. They're actual human beings Lys.'

'No, not like that. I meant I've chosen someone to ask to the New Years Eve party at the Weasleys.' He stated. 

'The what now?' She asked confused. 'I didn't know there was a party?'

'Our parents all wanted to go out together this year, so George Weasley came up with the idea to just leave all the kids in one place.' He explained. 

'Well, that just sounds like a recipe for disaster really.' She started counting all the attendees in her head. 'I don't think Mr. Weasley quite knows what he's in store for.' 

'Oh I think he knows exactly what he's doing.' Lysander grinned. 'Wouldn't even surprise me if he left a bottle of fire-whiskey laying around on purpose.' 

'Less gossiping, more cursing lads.' Professor Lupin stated as he walked past to survey their duelling. 

'Levicorpus' - 'liberacorpus'

'unless you're talking about the New Years eve party.' He whispered, holding his hand to the side of his mouth as to hide his words. 'Got a date yet, handsome?' 

'In fact I do.' Lysander smiled while taking a bow. 'You're staying at the burrow as well?' 

'Sadly, I've gotten too old to stay with you young'uns according to the adults.' The professor said, making a puking motion. 'I bet you'll have loads more fun than I will.'

Professor Lupin gave them a sly wink before making his way over to the duelling duo on their left.

'Who is it you're taking, then?' Diane questioned, deflecting another hex.

'Remi Chapman.' He mumbled under his breath. 

'Remi Chapman... The Hufflepuff?' Diane exclaimed. 'He's so sweet and smiley. Wouldn't have thought he was your type at all.' 

'Neither did I.' Lysander smiled, eyeing the ground. 'What about you? I've seen the way Pucey looks at you.' 

'Well, you're wrong. We're not even friends.' Diane scoffed. 'I'll be going by myself, thank you very much.'

Lysander simply shrugged before casting another hex Diane's way. She managed to counter it, despite her now wandering mind.


	21. Cozy christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ˖*. Weasley family tree .*˖
> 
> Arthur Weasley x Molly Weasley (grandparents)
> 
> |
> 
> William (Bill) Weasley x Fleur Delacour
> 
> Victoire Weasley (2000), Dominique Weasley (2004), Louis Weasley (2006)
> 
> |
> 
> Charlie Weasley (no children)
> 
> |
> 
> Percy Weasley x Audrey Weasley 
> 
> Molly Weasley II (2001), Lucy Weasley (2004)
> 
> |
> 
> George Weasley x Angelina Johnson 
> 
> Fred Weasley II (2002), Roxanne Weasley (2007)
> 
> |
> 
> Fred Weasley †
> 
> |
> 
> Ron Weasley x Hermoine Granger 
> 
> Rose Granger-Weasley (2006), Hugo Weasley (2008)
> 
> |
> 
> Ginny Weasley x Harry Potter 
> 
> James Sirius Potter (2004), Albus Severus Potter (2006), Lily Luna Potter (2008)
> 
> ˖*. Other family trees .*˖
> 
> Luna Lovegood x Rolf Scamander   
> Lorcan Scamander, Lysander Scamander (2007)
> 
> Lee Jordan x Alicia Spinnet   
> Vivian Angelina Jordan (2005), Lloyd Fredrick Jordan (2007)
> 
> Dean Thomas x Seamus Finnigan   
> Saoirse Finnigan-Thomas (2007)
> 
> Draco Malfoy x Astoria Malfoy †   
> Scorpius Malfoy (2006)
> 
> Remus Lupin † x Nymphadora Tonks †  
> Edward (Teddy) Lupin (1998)

## COZY CHRISTMAS

Diane stood on platform 9 ¾ next to a beaming Roxanne. The curly haired girl was standing on her tippy toes, trying to catch a glimpse of her fathers's ginger hair.

Diane had been looking forward to Christmas break all term. But now that the moment was actually here, she was filled with nerves. Her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted her black gloves. Her mind wandered to the questions she had been posing herself for the last few weeks.

What if they don't like me? Will they hate me because I'm a Slytherin? What if they kick me out before Christmas has even started?

'They're here!' Roxanne yelped, taking Diane's hand in hers and leading her through the dense crowd on the platform. 

Diane wasn't particularly small, but she was like a gnome compared to Roxanne, who easily peered over the heads of embracing witches and wizards.

Roxanne's parents tightly hugged her, before moving to Diane and enveloping her in an equally warm embrace.

'I believe we've met before.' The tall woman smiled down at Diane.

'Yes, we did.' Diane smiled back. 'Thank you for letting me stay with you Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.'

'Please, call me George. No need for formalities, they make me sound old.' The man grinned. 'Let's go, then.' 

The two adults led Roxanne and Diane to one of the many fireplaces lining the brick walls of the station. George ruffled around in his pocket for a bit before handing each of them a pile of dust. 

They shortly explained what Diane needed to do in order to get to their destination and she managed to follow their orders quite effortlessly.

Diane quickly dusted of her robes and jumped out of the fireplace. She looked around at the small living room she was now standing in. 

There were several mismatched sofa's, adorned with pillows in all colours. The walls were decorated with what seemed like hundreds of drawings. As she took a closer look, it became clear these were all drawn by children. 

She saw a tiny drawn dragon flying from one drawing to the other, spewing red fire. On another drawing, a tiny witch was twirling and dancing. A redheaded quidditch player could be seen zooming around in another drawing. 

'Hello dear, you must be Diane!' A sweet voice sounded from behind her. 'So very nice to meet you.' 

Diane was engulfed in yet another tight hug. The small greying woman smelled like freshly baked cookies and chocolate milk. 

The others quickly arrived in the living room, making the tiny space incredibly crowded. The adults kissed the older woman's cheeks and Roxanne was bombarded with a thousand kisses. 

'I've missed you so terribly.' The woman squeaked in between kisses. 'Look at you! How much you've grown, yet again!' 

After the warm welcome of Mrs. Weasley, Roxanne's parents left for their own house. They promised to come over for Christmas Day. 

'Anyone hungry, dears?' Mrs. Weasley croaked from the kitchen. 

'We're quite okay gran, thank you. I think I'll show Diane around for a bit.' Roxanne called back. 

'Have fun.' Mrs. Weasley shouted. 'Put your cloaks on dears, it's cold out!' She managed to add before Roxanne and Diane exited the warm interior of the burrow. 

The garden was very large. Different parts of it were fenced off, but as it was already dark out Diane couldn't see what kind of animals roamed around on the patches of green grass. 

In the far back of the garden, on one of the many cornfields surrounding the peculiar house, a smaller cottage was built. It looked fairly new but still clearly had the 'Weasley' touch to it. A few of the walls were crooked and the windows did not line up symmetrically.

'Who lives in there?' Diane asked.

'Nobody, really. My dad, uncles and aunts all saved up to build an extra house on the property. So guests don't have to cramp together in the burrow anymore and my grandparents have their space.'

'It looks er- charming?' Diane stated. 'How many people can stay in there?' 

'I'd say about fifty.' Roxanne mused. 

'fifty?' Diane took a second look at the small cottage. 'In there?' 

'It's a magic cottage, D.' Roxanne chuckled. 'Look.' 

Diane peered in as Roxanne held the door ajar. The inside was huge and cilinder shaped, sofa's and blankets scattered about. Lining the round walls were about 20 doors, each leading to a cozy bedroom. 

'Wicked, isn't it.' Roxanne smiled. 'My aunts and uncles will probably be staying here on Christmas.' 

'Are we sleeping in the burrow, then?' Diane asked. 

'Yup, most of the kids are.' Roxanne nodded enthusiastically. 'Let's go back and see if anyone else's arrived yet.' 

As the two made their way back into the cozy living room, three children were sitting in the sofa's. They were chatting amicably while munching on freshly made chocolate muffins.

The two oldest turned around and greeted Roxanne enthusiastically. 

'Er- Hi, I'm Diane.' She nervously said after the initial greetings between the relatives had come to an end.

'Nice to meet you! My name's Rose.' The ginger haired girl said.

'And I'm Hugo.' The smaller boy sitting next to Rose beamed. 'Her brother.' 

'I'm Louis, nice to have you here.' The older strawberry-blonde haired boy said. A soft smile tugged on his lips and his piercing blue eyes locked with Diane's. She felt a weird sensation then, as if she was being pulled towards the boy, needed to be close to him. 

Her trance-like state was broken as two more children stumbled out of the fireplace. 

'Lily, I told you to wait.' The boy she recognised as Albus stated as he helped the younger girl up from the ground, quickly dusting of his own coat. 

'Sorry.' She sheepishly said. Her shy exterior was quickly replaced by a joyous and energetic one as she noticed Hugo. The two ran towards each other and nearly fell to the ground as they hugged.

'You two literally didn't see each other for one day.' Albus drawled as he kissed his cousins and Diane on the cheek. 'Didn't know you were coming, Diane. Finally another Slytherins to talk to.'

'James not coming?' Roxanne asked as she took a seat next to Rose.

'Nah, deemed himself too old for this.' Albus scoffed. 'He'll be here for New Years Eve though. I don't reckon Fred'll come for that?'

'Actually, my dad kind of forced him to supervise us on New Years Eve.' Roxanne handed Diane a blanket and a muffin before continuing her explanation. 'Teddy, Victoire and Molly are going out with the grown ups. So, he was the next in line.' She chuckled.

'Have you guys invited other people?' Rose whispered. 

'Yeah. Lorcan, Lys, Lloyd and Saoirse are coming. Lys and Saoirse are even bringing dates.' Roxanne murmured. 'Was asking Jasper Remington originally. But we broke up last week.' 

'I didn't know you two broke up. Are you okay?' Diane asked after quickly swallowing a piece of muffin. 

'I'm fine, just kind of got bored of him I guess. It didn't seem right.' Roxanne took a sip of her chocolate milk. 'Anyway, have you asked someone?' 

'Not really. Albus asked Scorpius though.' Rose said as she shot Albus an annoyed look. 

'We've been over this Rose. He's my best friend.' Albus seemed very unbothered by Rose's annoyed expression. 'Besides, I know you've got a thing for him.' 

'I do not.' Rose exclaimed, slightly taken aback. 'I-'

'You do talk about him a lot, sis.' Hugo stated, momentarily glancing back from the game of wizard chess he was playing with Lily. 

Rose scoffed before heading up the creaky stairs towards one of the bedrooms. 

'Have fun sharing a room with her.' Roxanne giggled before sending Albus an apologetic look.

✰✰✰

The days leading up to Christmas were eventful to say the least. Diane spent some time getting to know Roxanne's relatives better, which was fairly easy as the Weasley's did not mince words and barely beat around the bush. They were straightforward and weren't scared to speak their minds. 

She learned that Hugo and Lily had been best friends since their birth. Their dad's Harry and Ron also always having been best buds and still were to this day. 

Albus was the one Diane had the least trouble communicating with. He took more to himself and was fairly silent, just like herself. Seeing as the two of them were both Slytherins, they had many personality traits in common. 

The mysterious Louis also wasn't the most vocal person. She soon learned that his mother was part veela and had passed some of that on to her three children. That was the weird pulling sensation she had felt toward the boy the first night she'd set her eyes on him. 

As Diane was very enthusiastic when Louis talked about being able to speak French, he kindly offered to teach Diane as much as he could of the romantic language in the two weeks they had together. 

Christmas Eve was spend with Mrs. and Mr. Weasley huddled around the Christmas tree. The nine of them sat scattered throughout the small living space, each receiving a thick knitted wool sweater with their initials embroidered on it. 

Late that evening, as Diane and Roxanne sat chatting in one of the rooms in the unbalanced house, they could see some adults appearing out of the corn fields and entering the magic cottage. No doubt arriving early to spend Christmas Day with their children. 

The next morning, Diane was awoken by the smell of freshly baked pastries and a couple of hushed voices sounding from the kitchen. 

She looked over at Roxanne, who was yawning and stretching out her arms above her head. 

'Sleep well Rox?' Diane asked, wanting to let her friends know she was also awake.

'Yeah.' She yawned. 'Something smells nice. Want to go take a look?' 

The two got dressed before making their way downstairs. When they stood on one of the lower landings, Roxanne held her hand out and motioned for Diane to stop. her gazed was fixed upon the downstairs area, where three voices where conversing silently. 

'I know we don't want to cause any panic. But don't you feel bad about keeping them in the dark like this?' A man's voice said. Diane peered over Roxanne's shoulder, seeing that the voice belonged to a ginger haired man she had not met before.

'Of course I do, Ronald.' A woman snapped silently. 'But this is what's best.' 

'I do agree with Ron, 'Moine.' Another man's voice sounded. 'They can handle it. I still remember how awful it was back at the Dursley's, not knowing what was happening to the rest of the world.' 

'That was different, harry.' The woman sighed. 'We don't know how serious the situation is right now. Let them enjoy the childhood we didn't have.' 

And with that, the discussion seemed to be over. As the door to the garden creaked open and shut, the two of them made their way down. 

'Hi, uncle Ron.' Roxanne smiled, kissing the redheaded man on his freckled cheek. 'Sleep well?' 

'Yeah, thanks Rox.' He seemed to still be thinking about the discussion Diane and Rox had just overheard. 'Excited for your presents?' 

'Very!' Roxanne beamed. 'Oh, this is Diane.' 

Roxanne introduced her to the other adults much the same way. They all gave her a warm welcome and acted like she had been part of their family for years already.

The other guests besides the three she had overheard in the kitchen included a lovely ginger haired woman named Ginny, Louis's parents Bill and Fleur and the sweet parents of Roxanne, George and Angelina.

Halfway through the distributing of gifts, two other adults entered the house. Both of them sporting the signature ginger hair and freckled cheeks. 

'Uncle Charlie!' The kids all yelled in unison, leaving their half opened presents behind as they flew around the man's neck. 

Squealing loudly, they all fell to the ground and formed a massive heap. The only part of the man still visible were a few strands of his ginger hair. 

'Thanks for the warm welcome.' The other man rolled his eyes, looking slightly annoyed but smiling nonetheless. The children got up from the ground to hug their other relative. 

'You know we love you, uncle perce.' Roxanne joked.

Diane was surprised as she also received several gifts and immediately felt guilty for having nothing to give in return. She promised herself to save up and buy something nice for Mrs. and Mr. Weasley when she was back home for the summer.

This was the best Christmas Diane had ever sat through. Her parents would always try their best to bring some Christmas spirit into the house, setting up a tiny tree and hanging some string lights from the ceiling. 

They probably didn't know that Diane noticed the other half of the string lights, that was broken and tucked away behind their small television. Or the side of the Christmas tree that faced the wall, which seemed half burned and smelled of cigarettes. 

Nonetheless, she went to bed that night joyful and satisfied.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick summary of the people mentioned in this chapter
> 
> ● Diane Albury
> 
> ● Roxanne Weasley, Fred Weasley II (George Weasley & Angelina Johnson's children)
> 
> ● Louis Weasley, Dominique Weasley (Bill Weasley & Fleur Delacour's children)
> 
> ● Lorcan Scamander, Lysander Scamander (Luna Lovegood's sons) 
> 
> ● Saoirse Finnigan Thomas (Seamus Finnigan & Dean Thomas's daughter)
> 
> ● Lily Potter, Albus Potter, James Potter (Harry Potter & Ginny Weasley's children)
> 
> ● Hugo Weasley, Rose Granger-Weasley (Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger's children)
> 
> ● Lloyd Jordan, Vivian Jordan (Lee Jordan's children)
> 
> ● Scorpius Malfoy (Draco Malfoy's son)
> 
> ● Lucy Weasley (Percy Weasley's daughter)
> 
> ● Thomas Wood (Oliver Woods's son)
> 
> ● Remi Chapman (Lysander's date)
> 
> ● Cassia Evans (Saoirse's date)
> 
> CW: Mention of alcohol

## NOISY NEW YEARS

December 31st, 2021

After a lengthy dinner of three courses, exquisitely prepared by Mrs.Weasley, the two elderly hosts retreated to their rooms where they prepared themselves for a New Years Eve ball they'd been invited to. 

'There's freshly made biscuits in the pantry. And there's those muggle sodas you all enjoy so much. Er- Arthur, what're they called again?' Mrs. Weasley questioned as she wrapped a thick purple scarf around her neck. 'Coco cola I believe, dear.' Mr. Weasley answered, holding the door open and letting in a cold draft. 

'Right! Silly me.' She chuckled as she linked arms with her husband. 'well, You behave yourselves and have fun.' 

Shortly after their departure, the elder brothers of both Roxanne and Albus arrived as well as Louis's older sister. They'd taken it upon themselves to supervise the whole event. James Potter and Dominique Weasley were now in their 7th year at Hogwarts and Fred Weasley had graduated 2 years prior, thus they felt compelled to watch over the younger teens. 

James and Fred started levitating several high tables as well as stools and chairs which were stored in a very old shed into the garden. Meanwhile Dominique charmed a big part of the frosty backyard, making it seem like they were in a bubble of comfortable warmth. 

Roxanne, Diane and Albus took to filling the tables with snacks while Rose and Louis brought some sodas out. Their work took slightly longer, as they weren't allowed to practice magic outside of school grounds yet. 

Diane and Roxanne were stationed at the front door later in the evening. The first guests to arrive were Saoirse and the Gryffindor Cassia Evans, whom they'd met on their Hogsmeade trip last year. Saoirse's dads came around to the garden as well, saying they still had some time before they needed to leave and join the other adults. 

Next came a tall platinum haired boy, who Diane recognised as Scorpius. His father gave them a curt nod and small smile before apparating again. 

Lorcan and Lysander arrived soon after, followed by a small blonde woman who gave them the sweetest smile and joined Saoirse's dads in the garden. 

Lysander blushed lightly as he introduced Remi Chapman. The boy was rather tall and very skinny with a head full of dark blonde curls. He hugged Roxanne and Diane tightly, complimenting their dresses and enthusiastically taking in the decorated backyard.

'What do you think?' Lysander asked as he sent Lorcan and Remi to go ahead. 'He's... nice, right?' 

'He's very energetic.' Roxanne chuckled. 'I like him.' 

'He seems good for you.' Diane smiled. 'You need someone to get you to be more spontaneous.' 

Lysander snorted and half-ran to Remi, who almost knocked over a table while gazing up at the burrow. 

Lloyd and his older sister Vivian arrived next, his dad giving them advice to 'Don't do anything I would do, and definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do.' Before apparating. They all hugged in welcoming like they always did, but Diane noticed something off about the way Roxanne and Lloyd behaved around one another. 

Their friendship had always been so natural and comfortable. But in the time Roxanne had been dating Jasper Remington, something changed between the two. They acted more awkward and nervous in each others presence. Diane was sure the two would resolve whatever was going on quickly, the two couldn't last a day without the other anyway. 

The last guests to arrive were one of the many Weasley cousins, Lucy Weasley, and a boy called Thomas wood who'd been invited by James. 

As the parents still present in the backyard left with a quick wave, the party could truly start.

After Lloyd and Lorcan had been struggling with an old music installation for quite a long while, Diane kindly offered her phone as a replacement. She had loads of tunes already downloaded thanks to the no-reception-or-wifi situation at Hogwarts. James eagerly placed a simple amplifying charm on the mobile and started dancing as soon as the first song started, despite probably not even knowing it. 

After what seemed like only an hour, the older teens were already very giggly and danced unabashedly to the tunes sounding from Diane's mobile phone. James and Fred shared a bottle between them which held an unknown liquid, while Dominique seemed so lost in the music that she didn't even notice Vivian and Thomas filming her while snickering. 

Diane felt rather uncomfortable dancing with this many people around, so she resorted to watching her friends join the swaying adolescents from a far away chair. She didn't mind this however. With a coke in hand and her favourite tunes playing in the background, she could happily watch her friends enjoy themselves for hours. 

'Well, don't you look rather pitiful.' Lysander said as he moved a chair next to hers and sat down, handing her some crisps. 'You don't have to be embarrassed you know, I don't reckon those idiots will remember much in the morning.' He motioned to James Potter, who was laying in the grass, the bottle clutched tightly in his arms. So much for supervising.

'It's okay, I'm enjoying the music from here.' Diane smiled and looked over at Saoirse and Cassia, who were dancing together very closely. 'I'm happy as long as you guys enjoy yourselves.'

'You're too sweet, Diane Albury.' He mocked. 'How about some truth or dare.' He suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

'I'm in!' Albus exclaimed, as he pulled a chair opposite them. 

'count me in too.' Lloyd sighed, looking over at Roxanne who was enjoying herself a little too much with Scorpius and had earned an annoyed expression from Rose in return.

'all right, I'll start.' Lysander jumped up. 'Diane, truth or dare.' 

'Thruth.'

'Boring. Let me think.' Lysander looked around for a while, his eyes finally coming to rest on his twin and returning to Diane. 'Who's the better looking twin, Lorcan or me.' 

'You, but only because I know you'll hate me if I don't say so.' Diane grinned. 'Er- Albus. Truth or dare?' 

'Dare.'

'Go and take a sip of that bottle your brother has been hogging all night.' She ordered.

Albus shook his head laughing before standing up and walking over to his nearly-unconscious brother, who was still laying in the grass with a smile on his face. Albus tried to grab the bottle, but James's grip was so tight that he had to pry his hands of first. They burst into laughter as James rolled over and hid the bottle underneath him, making it nearly impossible for Albus to reach. After a struggle that seemed to last several minutes, the black haired boy succeeded in procuring the bottle. He took a tiny sip and shook his head violently, an expression of pure disgust written on his face. After this he gladly handed the bottle back to James and returned to their little circle. 

'That was absolutely horrid.' He said before downing an entire can of coke. 'Lloyd, truth or dare.' 

'Truth.' 

'Who've you got a crush on, loverboy?' He grinned while bumping Lloyd's shoulder. 

'Er-' Lloyd quickly glanced in Roxanne's direction. 'No one.' 

'Oh Don't shit us, Jordan.' Albus chuckled. 'We all know you've got a thing for dear Rox.' 

'It's that obvious, huh.' He sighed, looking down at his hands. 'Too bad she's crushing on Scorpius at the moment.' 

'She's not crushing on Scorpius.' Diane laughed. 'I know who she fancies, it's not him.' 

'Who is it then?' Lloyd eagerly asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

'Er, I- I feel like er- that's kind of personal I-' Diane panicked slightly, knowing full well Roxanne would probably kill her if she told anyone.

'She's got a crush on you, you twit.' Lysander exclaimed. 'God, it's so obvious.' 

'oh.' Lloyd's whole attitude changed in a second. His eyes twinkled and he couldn't stop smiling. He was back to the old Lloyd at last. 'Alright Lys, truth or dare.' 

'Dare.' He shrugged.

'Speaking of crushes. I dare you to go kiss Remi.' He commanded, Lloyd's mischievous side had apparently come back as well. 

'Why not.' Lysander chuckled. 'Might as well just get it over with.' 

He strutted over to a dancing Remi and placed a hand on his shoulder. As soon as the boy turned around, Lysander kissed him full on the lips. Remi looked taken aback for a second, but quickly went back in for a second kiss. 

'I asked for a simple kiss.' Lloyd shielded his eyes. 'Not a whole Make-out session.' 

They all cheered on Lysander as he returned to their small circle, bowing once before taking his seat. 

The game went on for a while longer, a few others joining them in the process. 

'Oi, it's almost midnight!' Fred called out just as Roxanne was dared to serenade Saoirse. 

They all went to stand near the fireworks display James and Fred had installed, before starting to count.

'10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,... Happy New Year!' They all screamed in unison as a dozen flares shot up into the sky and created the most beautiful fireworks display Diane'd ever seen. 

Everyone was hugging and kissing each other on the cheek. Except for Remi and Lysander, who thought this was a good excuse to start snogging again. 

Dominique ran into the house and came out with an object that quite looked like a polaroid camera, only the pictures that came out actually moved.

She snapped some shots of the happy scene and handed a few developed pictures to Diane.

There was a picture of Saoirse and Roxanne both kissing a laughing Diane on the cheeks, fireworks exploding in the air surrounding them.

One of Lysander, Lorcan and Lloyd staring up at the fireworks display like they were little kids again. 

One of Diane and Lorcan, who stood awkwardly next to a snogging Lysander and Remi. 

And one of the six of them together, hugging and laughing. 

This had been the best evening of Diane's life. She truly realised now how lucky she was to have become friends with amazing people like these, who all welcomed her into their family without a second thought. 

She truly loved all five of them to death.


	23. Dear diary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of year four

## DEAR DIARY

Diane Albury - 15 y/o July 1st

Dear diary, 

It's been a while since I've done this, sorry for not having written something in the last few months.

What am I even writing, you're not a living thing...

Anyway, I finished my fourth year at Hogwarts last month. The exams were fairly easy, Though I suppose they went easy on us this term since we'll be having the O.W.L.s next year. (Not looking forward to that.) 

So, what have I been up to these past months...

I kept up my French since learning some from Louis Weasley over Christmas break. Surprisingly, there's loads of French books in the school's library. 

'Je m'appelle Diane, comment ça va?' Or something like that...

I've been trying to set up Cassia and Saoirse for a while now. They were clearly into each other at the New Year's Eve party, so I managed to get the two of them to agree to a Hogsmeade trip. Sadly, I got 'sick' at the last minute and the two of them had to go alone. 

They've been dating ever since. Saoirse told me all about how Cassia made the first move, describing it as her 'Gryffindor courage'. She'd taken Saoirse's hand in hers as they entered the village, and the two didn't let go of each others hands until the very last second when they had to rush to their separate common rooms to avoid being out after curfew. 

All very romantic indeed.

Lysander has been acting weird whenever any of us talk about romance or crushes. I assumed him and Remi were a thing after what happened at the party, but he keeps denying it. They've gone on secret Hogsmeade dates and I see them snogging around almost every corridor. 

Lys said they're just 'friends with benefits', but I don't understand what that means. Probably an American thing he picked up from Ezequiel.

Lorcan has been the same as always. Helpful and friendly, like a true Hufflepuff. 

Rox and Lloyd are close friends again, after that weird period where she dated Jasper Remington and Lloyd couldn't even stand to be in the same room as her.

It's weird, they both fancy each other but still don't do anything about it. It's clear as day that they would be perfect for each other. They're just both being daft.

I can't even imagine another human being fancying you. Has never happened to me before. 

Merlin, now I just sound pathetic don't I.

What else do you write in a diary... 

I guess everyone writes about the person they fancy. I don't really know if there's anyone like that in my life.

Mum once told me that when you fancy someone, you feel happy every time you're around them. That you get 'butterflies' in your stomach with even the slightest touch. That they're the first person you look at after telling a joke or something funny. 

I guess I was happy every time Ezequiel was around. But I don't think I've ever felt butterflies.

Well actually, I felt something weird when Parker touched my arm during quidditch tryouts. It felt like a weird tingling in my stomach, I guess that can be described as butterflies, right? 

It's not that I'm happy every time I see her, either. I just get curious. I want to know more about her. For example, how is the situation between her and her dad. Or just stupid things like what's her favourite colour and her favourite song. 

I don't think she feels the same way... She hates me.

I'll just have to get over this stupid crush then.

What else...

I helped Saoire cut her hair a few weeks ago. She wanted 'something new' so I quickly got to work. 

Lorcan checked in with us every few minutes, asking if we were okay or needed anything. Apparently his mum had told him that when a girl cuts her hair, it means she's going through something.

Her hair's a lot shorter now, but just as frizzy as before. I'm not a professional hairdresser but I think I did a good enough job. 

Anything else I can write about...

Oh, how could I Forget. Something's been going on in the wizarding world. Not just Hogwarts either, the whole of the United kingdom seems to be suffering.

There was an attack two months ago. 

An army of giants destroyed some of the small villages surrounding the mountains they normally resided in.

There was a lot of death. Muggles as well as wizards and witches lost their lives. I heard that some of those who possessed magic protected the non-magical people to their last breaths.

It's all incredibly horrible, really.

The ministry of magic sent flyers around, stating that they don't know how dangerous the whole situation is yet. They don't seem to know wether this was a one time thing or wether they planned on attacking again. 

There'd been rumours that the giants had been riling up for a few years now, but that all just seemed impossible. 

I guess those few who came out of the mountains alive were right. They were riling up, for a war nonetheless.

It seems that the army of giants has retreated for now, it's just that nobody knows where. Rox told me the ministry had sent out a few aurors already, but they never returned...

I guess this was the thing Rox's uncle and those two others were discussing on Christmas day in the kitchen. It's all out in the open now regardless...

Hogwarts is staying open next year, I reckon it's the safest place to be anyway.

I can't talk to my parents about any of this, that's why I'm writing it all down here.

I can't really talk to my friends either during summer, despite the few letters we regularly send each other.

It'll be a weird term starting next September...

But, I'm happy to spend time with my friends regardless. Under no circumstances would I ever NOT like spending time with them. We'll get through all of this together, there's no doubt about that. 

Thanks for letting me ramble on. 

Cheers.


	24. Peculiar parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of year 5

## PECULIAR PARENTS

'Are you absolutely certain about this Mrs. Granger?' Professor McGonagall asked, sitting rigid behind her desk. 

'Yes.' Hermoine sighed, glancing toward Harry. 'I've made my decision.' 

'Closing the school will do more harm than good. We can't show any weaknesses, especially now that the giant army is looking for exactly that.' Harry explained. 'They're gaining supporters every day, we can't let them think we've lost hope.' 

There was a long pauze in which Professor McGonagall seemed to consider their perspective.

'You do realise, Mrs. Granger and Mr. Potter, that I cannot ensure the safety of every single student in this school .' She stated in a very serious matter.

'I do.' Hermoine firmly nodded once. 'But we've found a solution for just that.' 

'I, together with some other volunteers, will guard this school for however long this situation is present.' Harry explained. 

'Surely the ministry will miss it's head auror, will it not?' McGonagall questioned. 

'We've arranged everything.' Hermoine chimed in. 'It shall not be a problem.' 

'As long as you can provide us with sleeping arrangements, we will do our duty to our old school and protect it.' Harry smiled softly. 

'very well then.' The headmistress nodded. 'Welcome back to Hogwarts, mister Potter.'

✰✰✰

The Hogwarts express had left from King's Cross Station about an hour ago now. 

Diane had boarded feeling slightly uncomfortable, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. 

There were adults previously unknown to her stationed at every entrance of the large train. 

She had looked back at the Station's walls before boarding, glancing at the ministry approved flyers. They explained the added security measures and assured the public that the whole affair was in the ministry's control. 

Diane wasn't so sure she believed all of that, especially looking at the worried faces of their new protectors. Most of them were lined with exhaustion and the bags under their eyes told another story than that displayed on the brownish leaflets. 

This was the first time Diane was actually scared to reside in Hogwarts for the rest of the year. The nervous tingles of excitement she had felt previous years were replaced by cold feelings of dread. 

'Do you know where they'll all be staying?' Diane glanced up from the window, nervously questioning her friends about everything they knew.

'I suspect they'll use the room of requirement.' Lysander shrugged. Despite trying to keep his cool, his normal air of nonchalance had been replaced by a more restless ambiance. 

He had been given the position of prefect over the summer. A silvery pin was now gleaming atop his blue lined robes.

'Merlin, this is going to be so weird.' Roxanne sighed. 'I don't know how I feel about my parents being able to supervise me at any given moment.' 

'At least they can't find you snogging Jasper around ever corner anymore.' Lloyd mused, a soft smirk displayed on his face. 

The group let out soft laughs and sighs of relief as the tension was slightly broken.

'All your parents are staying at Hogwarts, then?' Diane questioned further. They all nodded in unison. 

'For once i'm actually happy to be muggleborn.' she chuckled. 

'Don't get your hopes up D, my parents accept you as their own now.' Roxanne smiled. 'They'll be bugging you just as much.' 

She wouldn't admit it, but she felt incredibly grateful for her friend and her parents. They had been nothing but delightful towards Diane, even going so far as to send her a pair of brand new robes straight from madam malakin's. 

Diane had made Roxanne swear not to mention anything about her home situation to her parents. But of course she had done exactly that, anyway. Diane knew she had only done this to help her, though. 

'It must be weird for them, going back there after everything they went through.' Saoirse picked at her nails. 'Seamus finally opened up last night. Said he's scared, but as long as dad and I are with him he'd do anything to protect us.'

'Mum said something similar.' Lorcan added. 'She said she'd do anything to keep us safe, even if it meant reliving the- the whole thing.' 

'They're being a bit dramatic if you ask me.' Lloyd shrugged. 'We don't even know if this so called giant army is anywhere near Hogwarts at the moment.' 

They all nodded in agreement, glancing back at the dusty floor underneath them. 

'We'll get through this together, won't we?' Saoirse questioned. 

'Of course we will.' Roxanne smiled, placing her hand atop Saoirse's and giving it a light squeeze.

The rest of the trip and evening was spent in a rather dark atmosphere. After the feast, the headmistress announced the arrival of several 'safe-keepers' as she pointed to an additionally set up table near the front of the hall. The parents all gave a rather awkward wave before returning to their hushed conversations.

Later that evening, the teens met each other in front of the room that housed the portrait of the heroes of the second wizarding war. Many students were bustling in and out of the space as they weeped or softly smiled to themselves.

This time, parents were mixed in with the usual flow of students. Diane stayed in the back of the room, observing all the emotional reunions and conversations.

Dean, Seamus and Luna were chatting amicably with a redheaded woman inside the portrait. 

Albus Potter, his dad, and professor Lupin were explaining something to a scarred man and a bubblegum-pink haired woman. 

Roxanne, Lloyd and his dad Lee had retreated from the portrait, joining Diane at the back of the space. 

They wanted to let Roxanne's dad have a moment alone with the realistically painted version of his twin brother. 

The two ginger men were laughing and joking, Diane couldn't help but notice a single tear escaping George's eye as he momentarily glanced away. 

Lloyd's arm was draped over Roxanne's shoulder, holding her close as they watched the moving scene.

Out of the corner of her eye, Diane saw Parker Pucey talking to the same dark haired young woman she'd been conversing with that one evening. 

But unlike then, Parker was smiling. Just seeing that made Diane's lips curl into a soft smile of her own. Merlin, I've got to get over this stupid crush. She thought to herself as she quickly looked elsewhere.

Lee Jordan helped an emotional George Weasley back to their sleeping quarters. Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley all trailing behind. 

'I can't imagine how miserable they must be feeling.' Saoirse uttered. Cassia reassuringly stood next to her, trying to console her by rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand with her thumb.

'Yeah, tell me about it.' Roxanne sighed. 'Haven't seen dad cry in a long while.'

✰✰✰

It was weird, getting used to her friend's parents joining them for breakfast. George and Lee were always the first to arrive, followed shortly after by Seamus, Luna and Dean. 

Several other parents chose to reside at the teacher's table instead. Like Scorpios's dad, who could often be seen chatting with professor Zabini. 

Surprisingly, professor Longbottom frequently left the teacher's table at the front of the hall to join his oldest friends for breakfast. 

It felt more like they were a big family, instead of the usual gap between student and teacher. 

It was Christmas break now. the minister of magic together with headmistress McGonagall had decided it was best to keep everyone in school over the holidays, seeing as they could protect everyone better when they were all in the same place rather than their separate homes.

The six teens were just rounding a corner minutes before curfew when they bumped into George, Lee, Harry and Ginny.

'I thought your patrol wasn't until tomorrow morning?' Lloyd suspiciously eyed his father. 'What're you up to?' 

'Er-' Lee glanced towards George while rubbing the back of his head. 'We're just going down to the quidditch pitch.'

'You should all get back to your dormito-' Harry started.

'Or.' George cut in, grinning mischievously. 'you could come with us.'

'But, what if they get caught?' Harry tried reasoning. 'I don't want to be the reason they end up in detention.'

'Oh c'mon love, live a little.' Ginny smiled as she placed a quick kiss on Harry's cheek and linked arms with Saoirse and Diane before starting to walk away.

'Let's see if you can finally beat me, Roxie.' George teased as he flung his arm around Roxanne's shoulder, hoarding her outside while ruffling her hair.

Harry gave Lee a final pleading look. But the man just held up his hands and followed Lloyd and Lysander outside. 'The Weasleys have spoken.' He drawled.

'They always have to look for trouble don't they.' Harry gazed at the courtyard before him, seeing George fling Roxanne over his shoulder while making a run for the pitch. 

'tell me about it.' Lorcan sighed. 

For the remainder of the evening, the lot of them were zooming around the quidditch pitch. Diane, Lysander, Roxanne, George, Ginny and Harry all assumed their different positions before starting a very weird version of a quidditch match. 

The first team consisted of Roxanne, Ginny and Diane. The other team was made up of George, Harry and Lysander. 

They had an amazing time flying around unbothered for a few hours. The match being commentated by Lee Jordan, with the occasional input of Lloyd. 

'Diane has got the quaffle, she's flying towards the goal posts. Ah, the quaffle is now in the possession of harry. Ginny catches the quaffle before it can go through the posts. And now, Diane has it again. George is nearly hit by a bludger sent to him by his own daughter, Harsh Rox. Lysander misses the quaffle by inches and- DIANE SCORES. 50 to 20 for the ladies. C'mon lads, you can do better than that.' Lee shouted.

In the end, the girls won. But that didn't stop the others from grinning ear to ear while re-entering the castle at an indecent hour. 

High above them, staring out of a window not visible to those who lingered on the grounds below, Professor McGonagall stood. She greatly enjoyed watching her former and current students enjoying themselves. 

It reminded her of a time long ago, when a young boy with a lightning shaped scar and a troubled future had soared in front of her window.


	25. Alarming attack

## ALARMING ATTACK

The Teenager's eyes were focussed on the ground. A few words kept swarming their mind over and over.

Cold. Alone. Pain.

The teenager looked at Their trembling hands. Only, they didn't really know if they were theirs. They turned them around slowly, studying the pale long fingers and the short fingernails attached to them.

It is then they heard a voice, a voice that immediately reminded them of agony.

'Let me in.' The figure spat. 'You can't keep resisting for much longer.'

the teenager felt tears escaping their eyes and falling onto their cheeks. Dropping ultimately to the floor, where they were seated in a pathetic heap.

All they could do was shake their head. The longer they shook, the more tears escaped their puffy eyes.

'Very well then.' The figure again said, its tone calm but threatening. 

'Crucio'

And again the teenager fell down, screaming. Feeling the worst pain they had ever felt and would ever feel in their life. 

They didn't know how much longer they would be able to stay strong, but they knew they had to try. For their family, for their friends, for themselves.

After the figure was done with the teenager, they lay there on the ground, unmoving. All they could see through their tear stained eyes was the figure walking away from them.

'Obliviate.' It said.

And then they woke up. Not on the cold hard floor, but in their warm bed. 

The child did not remembering a thing of what had happened the night before, or had been happening to them for several nights in a row.

They got up out of bed and put on their robes, oblivious to the fact that they would be in copious amounts of agony once again that very evening. 

✰✰✰

Diane was seated at the breakfast table. Joined as usual by her friends and their parents. They'd all gotten quite used to this new arrangement by now. 

Only today, the ambiance seemed different. George was staring out of one of the windows lining the walls of the great hall, instead of having his usual banter with Lee Jordan.

Luna was jumpy, and looked around anxiously whenever someone spoke to her. Seamus and Dean kept stealing nervous glances at one another. 

'Alright, what's going on.' Lloyd asked after angrily putting down his spoon.

The adults all glanced at one another for a moment. 

'There's been sightings.' Lee started.

'Of the giants?' Lorcan exclaimed, after which Luna quickly put a hand to his mouth and asked him to keep it down.

'We're not supposed to talk about it, but yes.' George said, glancing around. 'They seem to be on the move.' 

Angelina looked at him threateningly, but George just shrugged. 'What? They were bound to find out soon.' 

'The thing is, they seem to be moving closer to the school.' Dean sighed. 'And there are others among the army.'

'Others?' Diane asked.

'Yes.' Seamus sighed. 'They've recruited werewolves and trolls and even the dementors seem to be on their side now.' 

'I even heard a few manticores have joined their ranks.' Luna added and Lorcan let out a loud gasp.

'They're highly dangerous creatures. They've got the head of a man, body of a lion and tail of a scorpion. They're very rare.' She explained upon seeing everyone's confused expression.

After this worrying announcement, the following weeks seemed to be going by incredibly slow.

The safe-keepers started to get more nervous by the day, and so did their teachers. Professor Fernsby looked out of the classroom window at least ten times an hour and professor Longbottom kept messing up the names and uses of different plants. Which was very uncommon, as he could normally name the uses as well as the history of any plant they asked him about. 

Diane's anxiety had gotten much worse than it had ever been. She would wake up with an   
uneasy feeling in her stomach every single day and performed worse in her classes than she ever had.

As much as Saoirse and Roxanne tried to keep the mood light with their unfaltering positivity, they couldn't seem to slow the steady pace of Diane's worrying mind.

Everyday they seemed to be getting closer to an unavoidable attack.

The minister for magic, Hermoine Granger, visited the castle regularly. Mostly to bring the most recent news, but also because the current events were taking a toll on her and she needed her husband, children and friends to keep her sane. Whatever she did, she could not seem to find a way to keep everyone safe. 

Apparently, several troops of aurors had been sent out already. But they all returned very confused and bearing the same tale. 

'I don't remember anything.'

One calm Thursday afternoon, Diane, Lloyd and Lysander sat in their defence against the dark arts classroom. Professor Lupin was demonstrating how to defend yourself using the smokescreen spell 'fumos' when an urgent knock sounded on the door. 

He opened the creaky wooden door and in front of him stood a very distressed looking Harry Potter. He glanced around the room for a second before silently mumbling something to Lupin. 

'Excuse me for a second, lads. Keep practising that spell.' he said as he left the room and closed the door behind him. 

'What do you think that was about?' Diane asked her friends.

'Don't know.' Lysander answered. 'But it can't be anything good.'

They tried practising the spell to fill the time, but their concentration lay elsewhere. After a good ten minutes, Lupin entered the classroom again. His manner had changed from his usual cocky stance to a nervous and restless one. 

'Alright, listen up.' He said while running a hand through his hair. 'I need you all to follow me to the great hall.' 

All students trailed nervously behind professor lupin as they descended the stairs. Around them, students were being led out of classrooms and common rooms. All being escorted toward the great hall. 

After several minutes, the hall was packed with students and parents alike. It didn't take long for Diane, Lloyd and Lysander to find the rest of their group who all seemed equally as confused. 

'Silence!' The headmistress called out from the higher standing platform at the front of the hall. 'Firstly, it is of great importance that you all stay calm. Now, your heads of houses will lead you all to your common rooms.'

She made to turn away, but was met with a chant of 'Why?' and 'What happened?' From the Gryffindors. She seemed to consider her next move carefully, before taking a deep breath.

'Hogsmeade is under attack.'

Immediately, loud chatting and several screams broke out. Before Diane could start asking questions she was swept away in a flow of Slytherin student being led down to their dormitories by professor Zabini and another platinum haired man.

All younger students immediately retreated to their rooms once they reached the dungeons. 

'What's going to happen?' Parker asked Zabini, looking very unlike herself. Her eyes were wide with adrenaline and she kept picking at her nails.

'Draco and I will go help in Hogsmeade, you lot stay down here until either one of us comes back to tell you it is safe.' Zabini stated sternly. 

'I want to go with you.' Albus said.

'So do I.' Scorpius added. 

'No you won't.' Draco stated. 'You will stay here, and wait.' 

'But dad-' 

'No.' He said again, approaching his son and placing his hands on his shoulder. 'I know you want to help. But now is not your time, Scorpius.'

'Then, you stay here too.' Scorpius pleaded. 'I can't stand not knowing what's happening to you out there.' 

'Listen Scorpius, there was a time when I would hide and cower. Where I would do anything to keep out of any sort of danger. But I realised, that's not living. That's not who I am anymore' He softly smiled. 'I'll be back before you know it.' 

He ruffled his son's hair before leaving through the heavy concrete doors together with professor Zabini.

The five of them stayed down in the common room. They didn't utter a word to one another, but just being in each others presence was enough to calm them down a bit. 

Parker stood staring out of the large window that showed the green vastness of the lake. Diane slowly walked over to where she was standing, leaning against the backside of a sofa next to her so that their shoulders were slightly touching.

'Are you okay?' Diane asked after a good while.

'I think so.' Parker practically whispered, not facing away from the window.

They stood in silence for a while longer, just enjoying each others company. Then, a big pink looking creature emerged from the green water. It's appearance came so suddenly that Parker let out a small shriek and grabbed Diane's hand. 

Quickly registering their closeness, she pulled away again and stepped closer to the window.

'What was that?' Parker muttered. 'It looked like an-' 

'An octopus, right?' Diane stepped closer to the glass too. 'I've seen it down here before, the beginning of first year.'

'Do you think that- that it could be the thing that attacked me back at the lake?' Parker questioned, looking away from the window and facing Diane.

'Could be.' Diane said. 'Could've also been some of those slimy plants Fernsby was so keen on gathering.'

'I think I'd know it if I was being drowned by a plant, Diane.' She said. Diane was scared she'd angered Parker once again, but to her surprise the girl was smiling instead.

'Well I don't know, you could've just been trying to get my attention.' Diane teased.

'You wish.' Parker said as she bumped her shoulder against Diane's.

The two of them joined the three silently conversing boys and spent the rest of the day and following night down in the common room. Worried sick, but trying to keep a positive mindset. Although that seemed a rather difficult task for five Slytherins.


	26. Adequate aftermath

## ADEQUATE AFTERMATH

The teenager lay on that cold wooden floor once more.

Memories of panic and nervous faces flashed through their mind. They tried to remember who they were, why they were here. They vaguely remembered the events that had occurred throughout the day.

They had eaten breakfast. They had gone to class. There had been panic. And then everything had gone dark and They woke up here. In the dark ice-cold room that reminded them so of torment. 

Through one of the high windows, the teenager saw the dark sky regularly light up with bright flashes of light. Distant sounds of people screaming and shouting broke the eerie quiet. 

A dark figure stood in front of the window. When it turned around, the teenager saw pure delight written across its face. 

Normally, the teenager could never quite make out the features of the figure. All it did was loom over them, and bring them the most terrible agony imaginable. 

Today was different. It was as if the delight it felt had made the figure loose some of its precautions. The teenager could make out its vibrant red eyes that stood out against its snow white skin.

'The raw stubbornness of a child will not stand in the way of my success.' The figure said with its voice deep and threatening. 'Give in.'

Never. They thought. But they were too weak to even procure a single sound. And again, as so many evenings before this one, the figure spoke that petrifying word.

'Crucio.'

The teenager wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Sooner or later, the figure would get what it wanted. 

Total control.

✰✰✰

Diane woke up in the Slytherin common room. She'd fallen asleep on Lloyd's shoulder. 

His mouth was slightly open and his heartbeat beat in a slow regular pace, suggesting he was still asleep.

There were no other students besides the five of them, everything was extremely quiet except for the soft crackling of the fireplace. Which indicated that it was still nighttime.

Across from them, Albus lay sprawled in the sofa, his legs resting on Scorpius's lap while he was fast asleep. Scorpius himself sat fidgeting with Albus's shoelaces, gazing out at the dark green lake beyond the glass.

'Can't sleep?' Diane whispered.

Scorpius shook his head and looked down at his hands. 'I'm just so worried.' 

'They'll be back anytime now, I'm sure of it.' She said confidently, even though she doubted her own statement highly.

Scorpius smiled softly at Diane, but the peace and quiet of their cozy common room was disturbed as that same pinkish looking creature she'd seen twice before appeared in front of the window. 

Only this time, it didn't just speed past. It actually knocked into the window, making a loud thudding sound. 

Parker, who was comfortably sleeping in an armchair just seconds before, jumped up and looked around at the others. 'What the hell was that.' 

Albus and Lloyd were startled awake as well. Just as Diane was about to explain what was happening, a second pinkish creature crashed into the window. Producing an even louder sound. 

They simultaneously jumped up and carefully crept towards the window, making sure to keep a safe distance from the weird scene. 

'They're Grindylows.' Albus stated, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 'What in merlins name are they doing?' 

As they stood watching, a few other grindylows joined the other two. The crashing sounds became so loud Diane was surprised none of the others students had woken up. 

'They-they're hurting themselves.' Uttered Diane. And indeed, the creatures seemed to be gaining bumps and scratches with every crash. 

'What do you think they're trying to do?' Scorpius asked. 'Maybe they're warning us?' Diane offered. 'Or trying to get away from something?' 

'Look at their eyes.' Lloyd added, inching closer to the window. 'They look almost... angry?' The others shuffled closer too, peering into the creatures eyes. 

Suddenly, they stopped moving altogether and sped off into the murky waters of the lake. Almost like they had been called back by someone. 

At that same moment, the doors to the dungeons slid open and professor Zabini entered. He looked exhausted, several wounds were visible through his sheer white shirt. the teens all seemed to hold their breath as they waited for any news.

To their surprise, Zabini smiled widely and patted Scorpius on the back. 'We did it, it's over.' 

'M-my dad?' Scorpius whimpered. 'Is he okay?'

'He's fine. Looks worse than me though, but he took down at least three trolls.' The professor sighed. 'You're supposed to stay put until morning, but you lot can come up with me.' 

The five of them nervously trailed behind their professor. Diane almost let out a sob of relief as she entered the great hall and saw Roxanne and her parents seated at one of the tables. As she looked around, she saw several people laid down on blankets on the ground. They were being tended too by Madam Pomfrey and volunteers who had medical knowledge. 

Diane immediately felt the urge to rush over to the patients and help them with anything they needed, but she could already hear madam Pomfrey dismiss her with a 'Go rest, dear.' 

She quickly made her way over to Roxanne, catching a glimpse of the reunion between Lloyd and his dad. 

'Is everyone okay?' Was the first thing Diane asked. She was incredibly scared for the answer. 

'Most of us are.' Angelina held Diane's hand in hers. 'There were some casualties. Your professor Fabian Fernsby, he-he didn't make it. Luna was wounded pretty badly, those manticores were real after all.' 

As she said this, Diane's gaze found the small blonde haired woman laying down on one of the blankets. Lysander and Lorcan were huddled over her, the former trying to get her to drink some water. She had a few scratches on her face, but the worst injury seemed to be the gash that ran from her knee up to her thigh on her left leg. 

Diane gulped deeply, and Angelina seemed to sense her unease.

'Diane, look at me.' She softly spoke as she put a hand on Diane's cheek, slowly turning her head to face her. 'It's over. Everything's okay now. The army is gone, nothing can happen to you.' 

'It's not me that I'm worried about.' Diane whispered as she looked at her friends. The twins, huddled over their Injured mother. Roxanne, who had fallen asleep on George's shoulder. Lloyd, embracing his father tightly. Saoirse, squeezed between her two dads while being in silent conversation with them. And lastly Parker, who stood awkwardly by herself near the entrance. 

She quickly kissed Angelina on the cheek before making her way over to Parker, grabbing the girl's hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

'You're not alone, you know.' Diane said as the two made their way toward their common room.

Parker softly smiled and gave her hand a tiny squeeze back, That was enough to let Diane know that she wasn't alone either.

✰✰✰

After much consideration, it was decided that the safe-keepers would leave Hogwarts. The threat seemed to have subsided, there was no longer need for extra guardians. Some additional security measures would still stay in place, but that seemed enough for now. 

Diane couldn't deny that she'd gotten quite used to the presence of having the parents around at all times. She felt safe with them, comfortable. But of course, it would be rather weird to keep them in the castle when there was no more war to be fought. 

The week following the battle in Hogsmeade, the adults got ready to leave the castle. Every evening that week, before dinner, they would hold a minute of silence for the fallen. 

It had already been arranged that Professor Flitwick would momentarily come out of retirement until the headmistress had found another suiting replacement for professor Fernsby. 

Fabian Fernsby had been a very peculiar person and a chaotic teacher, but he was fun to be around and ultimately Diane would miss him. He was the one that brought Parker and her together after all, even if that wasn't what he had meant to accomplish. They would never find out for what he so desperately needed to gather fresh water plants now.

Luna and some of the other severely injured adults were transported to St. Mungo's. Most of them made a full recovery, including Luna. She'd have to walk with a cane for a while and had a nasty scar, but other than that no lasting damage had been done. 

Dean and Seamus got away with some cuts and bruises but were overall perfectly fine. George nearly took another curse to the head, this time aimed at his one still existing ear. But Angelina was quick to deflect any spells coming her husband's way. Lee managed to stun quite a lot of werewolves, and had gotten some angry claw marks in return.

Harry and Draco seemed to be the most talked about. The two of them had taken down the Gurg all by themselves, which surely was not an easy task as this was the leader of the giant tribe and thus the most powerful one. 

All in all, life at Hogwarts could go back to the way it used to be. Although they'd have to wait a while before being able to go on Hogsmeade trips again.


	27. Burning betrayal

## BURNING BETRAYAL

The teenager felt different tonight. They felt exhausted, drained. And worst of all, devoid of hope.

In the back of their mind, the teenager had always secretly hoped for salvation. Hoping that somebody would come and rescue them before all confidence was lost. 

Everything felt heavy. There was no more joy or hope for redemption. All the teenager felt, was an empty pit in their chest. 

'You've fought well.' The figure said. 'But no person can halter my aspirations.' 

It approached the teenager, crouched down in front of them, and lifted its wand. 

The figure mumbled something the teenager could not understand. But they felt it, then. It felt as if they were pushed back, to the very back of their own mind. 

The teenager could still see out of their own eyes, smell and feel everything. But they were no longer in control. 

That's when they knew, the figure had finally won. 

The teenager was now tasked with finding something. An object it had frequently seen before. 

And that was what the teenager did. They searched everywhere, sulking around the castle grounds for the entirety of the night. But they did not find what they were looking for. 

The figure was furious. It punished the teenager, even if it needn't do that anymore. It knew it was unwise to task the teenager with such an assignment during the day. 

And so the teenager was tasked with another objective. 

Tomorrow evening, procure the compass. No matter the cost. 

And again the teenager woke up that morning, unknowing of anything. Oblivious to the heinous acts they would have to commit that very evening.

✰✰✰

The much dreaded O.W.L.s inched closer every day. Diane had done her best to make copious amounts of notes on every subject and every class, therefore she didn't feel much of the exam stress her friends were taken over by. 

Today, she had an appointment with Professor Zabini to discuss her future. Mainly, what job she wanted to practice after her studies. She'd given this much thought already, and no matter how many pamphlets she read, she always seemed to come back to healer.

'I can't wait to see Zabini's face when I tell him I want to be an entertainer.' Lloyd snorted during one of their many study sessions in the music room. 

'What classes would you even have to pass for that.' Lorcan questioned, huddled over an enormous book on magical creatures. 'Don't know, we'll find out soon enough.' Lloyd shrugged.

'I want to be a Herbologist.' Saoirse chimed in, her head resting in Cassia's lap as she went over her transfiguration notes. 'If you went for Magizoologist, we could start up a business together.' She pleadingly looked into her girlfriend's eyes.

'I told you I want to be a curse-breaker.' Cassia chuckled, placing a gentle kiss on Saoirse's forehead. 'Don't worry, you won't get rid of my any time soon.' 

'I'd like to be a magizoologist.' Lorcan looked up from his book again. 'How about it Saoirse?'

'Atta boy!' She exclaimed as she high-fived Lorcan. 'What about you Rox?' 

'I'd love to play quidditch on a professional level.' She smiled. 'But if that doesn't work out, I'll just go work at my dad's.' 

'Seems like a fun place to work at.' Diane considered, remembering the energetic and colourful interior of the shop. 'I think I want to be a healer, though.'

'Suits you.' Roxanne smiled. 'What about you Lys.' She asked the twin that sat perched on the windowsill, staring out at the grounds.

'Er- I don't really know yet.' He confessed. 'There's so many options.'

'You mean to tell me, that the all powerful Lysander Scamander, does not have a plan for the future?' Lloyd gasped dramatically. 

'I guess Astronomer sounds nice. But so does Dueller and Auror.' He looked down at the dozen leaflets in his hands. 'Even bartender looks compelling right now.'

'As if you don't get enough attention from girls already.' Diane chuckled. 'I won't be there anymore to do the dirty work and turn them away for you, you know.' 

'I know.' he sighed. 'What would I ever do without my own personal buzzkill.' 

They all burst out in laughter as Diane pulled on Lysander's robes and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. 'Very charming.' She said as he rubbed the back of his head with a sour expression before sticking out his tongue.

That afternoon, she nervously stood waiting before Professor Zabini's office doors. She'd decided that the right path for her future would be to become a healer. She was nervous to find out just how much she'd have to study for that. 

After a conversation that lasted roughly half an hour, Diane'd learned that she needed an outstanding or at least exceeds expectations at potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Defence against the dark arts.

It would not be the most simple path she could take, but she felt ready nonetheless. Herbology was the only class of the few she actually struggled with. She'd just have to take tutoring classes, or ask Saoirse for her notes and insights.

On her way to the dormitories, Diane bumped into Professor Whitelock. Which was very convenient, since she was considering the job historian as a plan B and wanted to talk about this with an adult.

'Professor, do you have a moment?' She asked shakily, once again intimated by Whitelock's appearance. 

'Certainly, miss Albury.' He smiled, tucking his hands behind his back. 

'I was wondering, do I have to get an Outstanding in history of magic to take the N.E.W.T level class next year?' She asked politely.

'An exceeds Expectations will do. Though I'm sure you'll get an Outsanding, Diane. You're one of my best students after all.' He kindly smiled.

'Thank you, sir.' Diane blushed lightly, she was not used to the praise of adults. Whitelock gave her a polite nod before making his way further down the corridor.

✰✰✰

The days leading up to the O.W.L.s were extremely tiring. Diane had never been one to doubt her own talents, but even she was nervous about the aspect of having to receive an exceeds expectations or above on no less than five classes. 

Lysander had decided to just try and get as many outstandings as he could, that way he could decide later on what job he wanted to practice. Nobody doubted his capability but even for a great mind like himself this seemed a bit overreached.

The teens spent hours pouring over their books and notes. Sometimes in the music room, sometimes in the library or one of the common rooms. 

Diane had to admit she rather liked the cozy red and gold interior of the Gryffindor common room. 

The day before their first exam, they nervously ate their lunch with the promise to meet up in the music room that evening. They'd made a habit out of making songs of their summaries. They already had a goblin rebellion of 1613 song and an ingredients of the strengthening solution song. 

Lloyd and Diane went down to the Slytherin common room for the remainder of the afternoon, Diane quizzing Lloyd on the different uses of kitchen equipment for his muggle studies class. 

'Name the use of a mixer.' Diane chose a subject out of Lloyds notes. 

'Well, it mixes things?' He guessed. 'that one was a bit obvious.' Diane laughed. 

'How about the difference between an oven and a microwave.' Diane proposed.

'They both heat things, but the microwave uses these kinds of waves, doesn't it?' Lloyd fumbled for a full explanation. 

'I mean, I guess you could explain it like that.' Diane examined Lloyd's scribbles looking for the clarification, but could hardly decipher anything.

'This is useless.' Lloyd sighed, leaning back in the armchair he had claimed two hours ago. 'Let's just go up to the music room early.' 

'Well actually.' Diane checked her watch. 'I'm sure the others'll be there already.' 

'What do you mean?' Lloyd grabbed her arm and checked the time himself. 'You sneaky bugger, you kept me here longer on purpose didn't you?' 

'Maybe.' She grinned. 'Don't tell me you didn't need the extra study time.' 

'Got me there.' He chuckled. 'C'mon then.' 

The two swung their robes over their shoulders and bound up the many stairs toward the music room. 

They met Lorcan and Saoirse on their way as well. They were all stressed about what the next day would bring and were laughing away their nerves as they entered the music room. 

Lorcan was the first to open the door and as he did, his grin faltered and his blue eyes widened. His face paled of all colour as he carefully stepped inside. 

The others followed curiously, frightened of what they would see. Diane entered last. 

Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. In front of them stood Roxanne, her head was yanked back by her brown curly hair and her eyes pleadingly searched the faces of her friends. She tried to put on a brave expression, but her hands were trembling. 

Behind her stood a cloaked person. His right hand in Roxanne's hair, the other tightly holding his wand and pointing it at the Gryffindor's head. 

The person was rather tall but unrecognisable. The teens glanced at each other, Lloyd's face was furious. 

'What the hell is this?' He spat, inching closer to the mysterious assailant. 

'Give me the compass, or this one won't make it to her first exam.' The person said, his voice calm but threatening. He pressed his wand into the skin at Roxanne's temple, making her wince in pain. 

'Who are you?' Diane asked, wanting to buy them as much time as possible. 

'It doesn't matter who I am, all I need is the compass.' He said. 

'I-I don't have it with me.' Saoirse whimpered, gulping deeply.

'Saoirse.' He chuckled malevolently. 'You are a terrible liar.' 

Diane caught Lorcan's gaze and saw him motioning subtly to the door. It is then she knew what needed to be done. 

'What do you need the compass for?' Diane asked, beginning to circle the hooded figure. She was trying to get him to focus on her as Lorcan crept over to the door to get help. 

'It does not matter.' He said, his voice cold and emotionless. 

'None of us besides Saoirse can use it, what makes you think you can?' She went on, making sure to keep his attention wholly on her. Lorcan slowly made his way to the door, he was now mere steps removed from their only hope. 

'It does not matter.' He again said, slightly raising his voice. 

At that moment, Lorcan managed to silently open the door and creep through. The person holding Roxanne whirled around but was too late to stop him. 

'no.' He bellowed.

Then, everything seemed to happen at once. Roxanne clawed at the person's face and managed to escape from his grasp, uncovering the face of the figure. 

Diane felt her heart break. staring back at her, where the blue eyes of Lysander.

His expression was blank and he slowly brought a hand up to his face, catching a drop of blood that had dripped down from Roxanne's claw marks. 

'Why?' Diane called out as her voice cracked. 'Lysander, why?' 

'I need the compass.' He said again, there was something pleading in his voice. He raised his wand and pointed it at Saoirse. 

Just as he cast a spell in the Hufflepuff's direction, Diane flung herself in front of her friend. 

She was blasted to the side, landing hard on the tiles of an old piano. Pain shot through her back and her vision swam with stars. 

Everything around her was blurry. All she could make out were raised voices, people storming the room, Lysander being disarmed and forced to his knees. 

The moment the twin hit the ground, his eyes seemed to fill with emotion. He shook his head and blinked a few times before taking in the scene before him. 

'Diane.' He breathed. 'Oh god, I-I didn't-' Before he could explain himself, he was stunned and moved out of the room by adults whose faces Diane couldn't clearly make out. 

She faintly heard her friends calling her name and the face of madam Pomfrey came into view. The pain was too unbearable, she closed her eyes and fell into unconsciousness.


	28. Unexpected outcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter of year 5

## UNEXPECTED OUTCOME

Diane woke up to the sound of hushed voices and carts rolling by. She could feel soft fabric laying underneath her aching back and a hard cast encasing her left shoulder and part of her upper arm. 

As she opened her eyes and let them adjust to the dimmed lights of the hospital wing, she saw her friends sitting beside her. 

Roxanne's head was resting on Lloyd's shoulder as he gently stroked her hair, her eyes puffy and cheeks wet with tears. 

Saoirse looked equally miserable and let out a soft sob as she saw Diane had awakened. She immediately put her hand on Diane's forehead, brushing some of her dark hair away from her eyes. 'How are you feeling?' 

'Dizzy.' She muttered, her mouth felt dry and her lips chapped. 'Where's Lysander?' 

Saoirse gulped and glanced at the others. 'They've taken him to the ministry.' 

'What happened after I...' Diane pleadingly looked up at her friends. 

'Lorcan managed to alert the headmistress and she immediately sent Lupin and Patil to restrain him. They stunned him and brought him to the ministry, for questioning.' Lloyd explained, his voice sounded so glum that Diane feared his cheery attitude might never return. 

'Why?' Diane whispered, feeling fresh tears escape her eyes. 

'We-we don't know.' Roxanne said. 'None of us understand.' 

'He threatened to kill you, Roxanne. I can't even imagine what he meant to do to Saoirse.' Diane thought back to his emotionless eyes, his threatening voice. 'I thought he was my best friend.' She whispered, more to herself. 

They sat in silence for a while, no words seemed to fit the situation they were currently in. The boy they thought was their best friend, their family, had been ready to kill or seriously harm them without a second doubt. 

'Where's Lorcan?' Diane asked. She couldn't imagine the heartbreak he must be feeling. This was his closest friend, his other half. 

'He's home. McGonagall brought him there right after Lysander'd been seized. His dad is at the ministry, but Luna's still too weak to travel and Lorcan was too shaken up.' Lloyd explained.

'What about the O.W.L.s?' Diane asked. 

'Typical of you to think of exams right after being attacked.' Roxanne softly smiled through the tears. 'We can still take them, though McGonagall said we could take them during summer if we wanted.' 

Diane softly shook her head, already feeling a headache coming on. 'My right arm's fine, I can start tomorrow.' 

The others chuckled softly. 'Ever the star pupil.' Joked Lloyd. 

'What happens now?' Diane asked. 

'I don't know.' Saoirse confessed. 'But whatever happens, we stick together.' She softly squeezed Diane's right hand. 

The next days were absolutely miserable. Every second of the day was spent questioning why. Why had he done it, why had he wanted Saoirse's compass so badly. Diane couldn't even feel the exam stress anymore, she just felt numb. 

The teens barely spoke to one another whenever they got together. They mostly just sat in silence, wondering how Lorcan was and what would come out of Lysander's questioning. They all decided to take their O.W.L.s now, instead of taking the headmistress proposal to make them during summer. Diane just wanted this all to be over with, for once she looked forward to the two magicless months that were waiting for her back home. 

Lorcan didn't return to finish term, and Diane hoped she would never have to see Lysander again. What had been pain and loss at first, had now turned into anger and disappointment.

✰✰✰

Diane'd only been home for a solid week, when a letter arrived by owl. Normally, her friends would wait to sent letters until a bit further in their break. As she detached the letter from the owl's leg, she saw it had come from the Scamander residence. 

————

Dear Diane,

Lysander was under the Imperius curse. Too much has happened to write down in a letter, my husband will come and get you in two days time. Be ready.

With love, Luna Lovegood.

————

Diane's heart was beating a hundred miles an hour. He had been under the imperius curse, he wasn't himself. She instantly felt bad for ever thinking he would intentionally betray them. Of course he hadn't been himself, the Lysander she knew would've never done any of that. She felt stupid and guilty, but extremely hopeful. She still had her best friend after all. 

Diane told her parents she would be staying at a friend's place for a while. Two days later, a man in a long grey overcoat stood in front of her door. She immediately knew this had to be Mr. Scamander, not only were his clothes too peculiar to belong to a muggle, he also had the same blonde hair and blue eyes that the twins had. The man took her suitcase in hand and the two apparated to a lovely house at the top of a hill. She barely exchanged a word with him, she was too anxious. 

As she was approaching the house and looking around at the mysterious plants that grew all over the front yard, Lorcan opened the door and bellowed for Lysander to come out. The other twin appeared in the door and locked eyes with Diane. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes. 

They stood there for a while, before Lysander ran over to her and hugged her tightly. 'I'm so sorry.' He sniffed. 'I-I never meant to hurt you.' Diane felt his tears falling down on her arms.

When Lysander let go of her he took in her left arm, which had healed relatively fast but still required the usage of an arm sling. 'Diane, I-I-' He let out a sob.

'It's okay.' She hugged him again, stroking his back in soothing circles. 'It's not your fault.' 

The two went inside, where the others were already awaiting Diane's arrival. Cups of tea sat in front of them, but remained untouched. Diane and Saoirse took seats in the small sofa while the others sat down on the thick carpet. 

'I don't even know where to begin.' Lysander said. The soft glow of the fireplace illuminated the right side of his face, where Roxanne's scratch marks were still visible. Those would surely leave a scar. 

'Just, start at the beginning.' Saoirse said.

'I don't remember much honestly. I remember someone using the Cruciatus curse on me, but I don't know how many times. Could've been only once, could've been multiple times.' he sighed. 'I also remember a figure. It had red eyes and white skin, that's all I recall. It wanted to control me and, well obviously it also seemed to want your compass.' He looked at Saoirse. 

'The worst thing is, I remember everything I did. I remember holding Roxanne and threatening you. I remember wanting to curse Saoirse. I remember hitting Diane with a spell. I wasn't in control, but I was still somewhere in there.' He looked down at his hands. 'The moment Lupin and Patil pushed me down, I came to myself. It almost felt like waking up, it took a while for the memories of what I'd done to come back to me though.'

'What happened at the ministry?' Lloyd asked. 'What'd they ask?' 

'At first they wanted to know who I was working for.' He started. 'I told them the truth, that I didn't remember. Of course they didn't believe me at first.'

'After that, they seemed to think I was working for the giant army for a while. They used veratiserum on me as soon as they could, that's when they discovered I was telling the truth. They tried to figure out who'd put me under the curse next, but with the only thing I could give them being red eyes and white skin they didn't get very far.' he explained.

'So, you don't know who did it?' Roxanne asked.

He shook his head. 'I'm so sorry this happened.' 

'Merlin Lysander, it wasn't your fault.' Lloyd said, placing a hand on his shoulder. 'You did give us a good scare mate.' 

'I can't believe I even thought for a second you could do something like that.' Diane sighed. 'I'm sorry for doubting you.' 

'And I'm sorry for your face.' Roxanne added. 'But I honestly think it looks kind of sexy.' 

They all snorted with laughter, even Lloyd grinned. 'Still think I could go for bartender?' Lysander joked.

'Speaking of, when are you two taking the O.W.L.s?' Diane asked.

'In two weeks, McGonagall arranged everything for us.' Lorcan answered. 'More time to study.' He smiled.

'Well Lys, I'm glad you're back.' Lloyd said. 'I don't think I'd be able to handle Diane's lectures without you to make some snarky remarks.'

'I've still got one good arm, you know.' Diane said as she gave Lloyd a shove.

They all stayed with the twins for a few days, catching up and helping Lysander arrange his notes. After that, they went back to their separate lives. Diane was satisfied, they were whole again at last.


	29. Surprising seige

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of year 6

## SURPRISING SEIGE

When Diane's O.W.L results arrived over summer, she was pleased to see she'd gotten sufficient grades on the classes she needed to take at N.E.W.T level to become a healer. On top of that, she'd also gotten an Outstanding on History of magic. The only classes she didn't pass were Astronomy, Care of magical creatures, Divination and Ancient Runes. But this was solely because she'd put all her efforts in succeeding for the other classes. Despite not being able to think of anything other than Lysander those last few weeks of term, she'd done surprisingly well.

Lysander himself had gotten an Outstanding in nearly every subject, which was to be excepted. Diane now had more shared classes with her friends than ever. The six of them took Potions, Defence against the dark arts and Charms N.E.W.T level classes together.

On top of all that, the apparition classes were scheduled to take place earlier in the year. This way, the students had more time to prepare for the exam that took place at multiple points of time in Spring.

The first week of term wasn't even fully completed yet when the six of them were ordered to separate in their Charms and Potions classes. They'd made a habit of passing notes to one another. Lloyd and Lysander would always add on stupid jokes or remarks, which made Diane snort with laughter and Roxanne blush. The professors would not stand for it however.

Professor Lupin was different. He would teach them a spell at the beginning of class and leave the rest of the time for practice. This way, the teens didn't need to hide their ramblings in innocent notes but could just talk openly to one another. Lupin would even join their childish conversations occasionally and laugh just as loud as they did.

Autumn flew by in the blink of an eye. They'd learned the use of non-verbal spells. How to resist the imperius curse, which seemed extremely ironical in their situation. They learned about Amortentia, which smelled a bit too much of Parker to Diane's liking. They even learned human transfiguration and how to turn vinegar into wine.

Diane hadn't managed to Apparate after the first few lessons they'd already had by now. Roxanne and Lysander seemed naturals and Saoirse managed a few feet from her original spot but not much further.

Their calm rhythm of class after class was soon to be disrupted, however.

✰✰✰

One cold and starless night, Diane awoke to the faint sounds of yelling. At first she though it was her roommate's cat, but as she looked up the cat lay snoring lazily at the end of the girl's bed.

She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and sneaked out of her room, silently descending the stairs. Immediately there seemed to be something off. The doors to the common room stood wide open, even though there was nobody around who could've opened them.

Muffled shouts and screams sounded from somewhere in the castle, and immediately students started pouring out of their rooms to see what the ruckus was about. Their hair ruffled from a good night's sleep and eyes still heavy.

Lloyd's head stuck up from the mass of students, his expression confused and eyes searching the room for Diane. He immediately joined her side once he'd found her. 'What's going on?' he yawned.

'Don't know.' She said, looking toward the corridor beyond the sliding doors. 'What's that?'

She saw shadows move against the far wall of the corridor. All students seemed to still and gazed at the approaching figures.

Through the door came several bodies. At first, They seemed like normal people. But Diane quickly made out the sightless eyes, greying skin and gaping mouths. They were Inferi.

Several screams broke out as students ran back to their dorm rooms and others started firing spells at the approaching monsters. Lloyd quickly took hold of Diane's hand and hid behind one of the sofa's.

The inferi made their way into the common room as if they'd lived here for years. They didn't rush or seemed to want to fight, they just hoarded the students back to their rooms and took a stand in front of their doors, as if they wanted to lock them all away and make sure they didn't come out.

One student made to run out the door at the entrance of the common room, but an Inferius took hold of him and pushed him away with such force that he must've broken something upon landing.

Lloyd held on to Diane's hand tightly as the two carefully manoeuvred from sofa to sofa. Making their way toward the sliding doors which were still wide open. As all of the undead before them were busy with the last resisting Slytherin students, Lloyd and Diane slipped through the doors and ran down the corridor as fast as they possibly could. Lloyd nearly dragged Diane up the stairs as his legs were much longer than hers.

When they reached the first floor of the castle, chaos seemed to be everywhere. Inferi were grabbing and shoving students that had escaped their common rooms or were just wandering the grounds. Several people apparated inside the castle itself, which Diane had thought to be impossible. These people all looked extremely rough and wore shabby clothes with holes and dirt stains.

Lloyd and Diane hid behind a tapestry and carefully looked out the window, their hearts beating extremely fast. Diane couldn't believe her eyes. Lining the castle grounds, were giants. Beyond the ranks of giants lining the castle walls, were dementors. They all seemed to be rather passive, as if they were guarding the school instead of attacking it.

'W-what?' Lloyd gasped. 'Why are they just standing there?'

'I-I don't know.' Diane whispered. 'It's like they're guarding the grounds.'

'Those inferi, they didn't want to harm the students. They just wanted to lock them up.' Lloyd spoke, more to himself. 'The person that's controlling them must be in the castle, right?'

'Right.' Diane contemplated. 'So whoever is doing this, doesn't want us dead. That's a first.'

Lloyd nodded. 'We need to find the others.' Just as they left the safety of their hiding place, they bumped into Saoirse and Lorcan.

'I-I-' Lorcan stammered. 'We know.' Diane said. And the four of them ran up the moving staircases without another word. They got to the Ravenclaw tower first, were Lysander was firing hexes at inferi and leading younger students out of the room.

'Where's Roxanne?' He shouted over the sound of glass shattering somewhere nearby.

'We're on our way to the Gryffindor common room right now.' Diane bellowed. And so the five of them went to the Gryffindor common room.

At its entrance stood multiple Gryffindor students of all ages, firing spell after spell at the oncoming inferi. The monstrosities hadn't even been able to breech their common room yet. Leave it to the Gryffindors to put up a good fight.

They leapt through the open portrait hole and started calling for Roxanne. They started asking other panicked Gryffindors if they'd seen her, but nobody had. The same story applied to Cassia, it's like they'd disappeared before any of this had even started.

Lloyd and Saoirse started to panic even more. 'We'll search the rest of the castle.' Diane proposed. 'We'll find them.'

They all scurried out of the common room, leaving the fighting Gryffindors by themselves. Saoirse started to cry out of pure frustration as they searched room after room but couldn't seem to find a single trace of the two girls.

Suddenly, a deafening scream sounded from a small courtyard not far from them. 'Cassia.' Saoirse breathed before running of in the direction of the shriek. The others quickly followed behind.

In the middle of a tiny outdoor space, stood Cassia. She sat hunched over on her knees in the grass. When Saoirse and the others stepped out into the clearing, she looked up. 'Don't!' She called out. But it was too late. The teens seemed glued to the ground, Diane thought back of the time she had done something similar to Parker.

Next to Cassia, a figure suddenly emerged, its wand pointing toward the Gryddinfor's small body. 'I'm sorry it had to be done this way.' The figure stated. 'But I'm afraid this was my last resort.'

It removed its cloak and immediately Diane recognised the radiant but strange features of professor Whitelock. The teens all gasped in disbelieve. Had their history of magic teacher really been behind all this?

'I'm sure Lysander must remember me well.' Whitelock said. 'We've had our fun, haven't we.' As soon as he spoke these words, his eyes turned blood red and his canine teeth grew pointy ends.

'You put me under the imperius curse.' Lysander uttered, his voice soft and broken.

'You're a smart child, Lysander.' He smiled, his wand still pointed toward Cassia. 'A little too smart it seemed. It took me weeks to get into that strong minded head of yours.'

'Why do you want Saoirse's compass?' Diane asked.

'You figured that out rather quickly.' He grinned. 'Didn't expect anything less from my star pupil. I want the compass, Mrs. Albury, because it will lead me to what I want.'

'What exactly is it that you want, then?' She asked, once again trying to buy them time. This time however, she didn't see a way out.

'Us half breeds and other beings have lived in exile for far too long.' he began explaining. 'It is time we are given the freedom and territory we deserve.'

Diane figured it out, then. Those shabby people she saw apparating, were werewolves. That's what he meant when referring to half breeds. And the other beings must be the giants, trolls and dementors.

'So what are you planning to do?' Lysander started. 'Murder every last student and teacher in this school?'

'No my dear boy.' He laughed. 'We will keep them as our prisoners, so to speak. They will be extremely useful as leverage. As long as everyone does as we ask, no harm shall come to them.'

'It was you from the start, wasn't it?' Saoirse whimpered. 'The giants riling up years ago, that was all you?'

'That's right, Mrs Finnigan-Thomas.' He smiled. 'I have been planning this for years. I stole a very useful relic from Mr. Potter three years ago, a map that helped me get the inferi inside school grounds through multiple secret passages. I have figured out how to temporarily breech the ancient spells that kept people from apparating in and out of the castle grounds, that is how my trusted followers got in. The single part of my plan that I haven't been able to complete, is require the compass. I tried poison, I tried an unforgivable curse, but you children seem to evade every obstacle I send your way.'

realisation domed upon all of them at once. It has been professor Whitelock who'd tried to poison Saoirse all those years ago.

'Now, I have not brought you here for a quant chitchat.' Whitelock stated. 'I will have that compass now, Mrs. Finnigan-Thomas, or Mrs. Evans may not come out of this alive.'

'Where's Roxanne?' Lloyd suddenly asked. 'What did you do to her?'

Whitelock lifted one of his arms and moved a bubble like cage out of the shadows. Inside was Roxanne, looking back at them with panicked eyes. She seemed unharmed, for the moment.

'Always good to have an alternative plan.' Whitelock said, placing Roxanne down on his other side.

'Now, dear. The compass.' he said as he held a hand out to Saoirse. She glanced around at all of them before reaching in her robe's pocket and withdrawing the bronze compass. She took one last look at it before handing it over to Whitelock.

In the split second he was distracted by the shiny object, Professor Zabini emerged out of the shadows. He cast a spell at the Vampire that made him stumble and release the compass as well as the spells he was holding over the teens.

the bubble around Roxanne burst open and she immediately ran towards the other teens. Zabini and Whitelock were now in full combat. Cassia snatched up the compass and handed it back to Saoirse before taking her face in her hands and kissing her gently. 'Go.' She said.

'Come with us.' Saoirse tried convincing her as the others pulled on her robes to make it clear they needed to go, now.

'I've got to help Zabini, I'll see you soon.' Cassia said as she turned around and began casting spells at the enraged vampire.

The six of them ran away as fast and far away as they could. As long as the compass was in their possession, they were in danger. But they could not give it up to Whitelock either, they had to keep it from him at all costs.

Diane momentarily glanced back at the courtyard they had left behind and she heard a single scream followed by green flashing lights, after this everything seemed to quiet down.

She had no time to worry about her potions professor or Cassia, as she was pulled into an empty classroom by professor McGonagall, the others following close behind.

'Are you all unharmed?' She quickly asked. They all nodded, still out of breath from the run they'd just made.

'Listen closely.' She started explaining. 'It won't be long before the spells surrounding the castle will become active and apparition will be once again impossible. I need you all to apparate somewhere, can you do that for me?'

They once again nodded in unison. They weren't of age yet, but three of them had already managed to apparate.

'I need you to go to Beauxbatons Academy In the French Pyrenees and speak to Madame Maxime. She'll know what to do.' She ordered. 'And whatever you do, always trust the compass.'

There was no time for questions, McGonagall gave them a single curt nod and slipped out of the room, joining the ongoing fight.

'How are we supposed to apparate to a place we've never seen before?' Saoirse exclaimed.

'I don't know, but we need to go now.' Diane said. 'Just, think of a castle in France. We'll get there some way.'

Diane grabbed on to Lysander's arm, seeing as he could already apparate. Lorcan took Saoirse's arm and Lloyd took Roxanne's hand in his. They all nodded to one another before turning on the spot and apparating out of Hogwarts.


	30. Shimmering chateau

## SHIMMERING CHATEAU

As soon as Diane's feet met solid ground, she collapsed to the ground on all fours. She'd apparated before, but back then she'd been too anxious and distracted to focus on the nouseating sensation. This time, she felt extremely dizzy. Lysander quickly helped her up.

'You okay?' He asked. 'Yeah.' She responded, the light-headed feeling quickly resided as she looked around. They were at the base of a slight hill, a small-scale castle sat on top. The air was warmer than it'd been back in Scotland, but the winter breeze still made her shiver. Lysander was quick to wrap his own cloak around her small body, ever the gentleman.

They whirled around as they heard a loud splash in the small creek that coursed at the hill's mount. Lloyd cursed loudly as he helped Roxanne on dry land and removed his shoes to wring out his soaked socks. 'Saoirse and Lorcan?' Roxanne asked as she joined Diane and Lysander. They both shook their heads and continued searching the vast expanse of the hillside.

Not much later, the two missing teens crawled out of a large bush. Saoirse had twigs and leaves stuck in her hair but overall they were fine.

'What now?' Lorcan asked. 'We follow the compass, like McGonagall said.' Saoirse instructed, already starting the hike up the hill.

'Hasn't that thing caused us enough misery already?' Lysander questioned. 'Maybe, but you heard what McGonagall said.' Diane said. 'Besides, what other options do we have.'

'How did she even know you had the compass?' Roxanne questioned, uncomfortably trailing Saoirse as her shoes were still wet.

'It's McGonagall, she knows everything.' Saoirse said, eyes trained on the compass. 'Except for Whitelock, I guess.'

'So, our history of magic teacher is a vampire.' Lloyd sighed. 'Nothing can ever be just normal at Hogwarts, can it.'

The compass led them higher and higher. Soon, the innocent hills turned to actual mountains. None of them were clothed well for the occasion. All Diane was wearing were her pyjamas and two cloaks on top of each other.

Suddenly Saoirse stilled. In front of them stood several light blue carriages hidden underneath a thick copse of trees. attached to them, were white winged horses which were grazing lazily and silently nickering. 'No way.' Lorcan mumbled before carefully approaching the large horses.

'What are you doing?' Diane whispered. She thought the boy must've gone mad. But Lorcan just kept approaching, until he was close enough to reach out and stroke the mane of one of the horses. 'They're friendly.' He smiled.

The others drew closer to the carriage, but steered clear of the huge horses. Roxanne pulled on a handle and the doors of the carriage opened. She stepped inside without a second doubt, and the others followed.

Diane stood there for a second, contemplating what she was seeing right now. 'Let me get this straight. We see strangely placed carriages with actual winged horses attached to them, and we just... get in. Doesn't this seem er- a little too easy?'

Lysander shrugged and pulled Diane in, closing the doors behind her. 'Don't get in a fluster, D.' He chuckled as he pointed to the words Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons written on the ceiling.

'Er- so what now? We just wait until someo-' Before Lloyd could finish his sentiment, they shot forward and up, into the skies above.

At first, they flew above the clouds. The sun shone down upon the blue carriage and for a moment, there didn't seem to be a single care in the world. Suddenly, the horses shot down and plunged beneath the thick carpet of white clouds. They flew through small mountain passes and over sharp peaks.

The carriage finally slowed down on what seemed like a huge driveway. The teens stepped out one after the other and stood still, taking in the luxurious fortress that stood before them. The chateau was surrounded by majestic gardens and magical fountains. the building itself seemed to glimmer and shine under the blazing sun that had made a temporary appearance through the white clouds.

They made their way toward the entrance without a word. Simply gazing at the castle and its grounds.

'Diane?' They suddenly heard someone call. 'Is that actually you?'

Diane whirled around to see an ecstatic Ezequiel run toward her. he lifted her up and squeezed her in a tight embrace. 'How've you been?' He asked after putting her back down.

He had changed a lot since she'd last seen him four years ago. She took in his tan skin and perfectly shaped cheekbones, his dark eyes and curly hair. She had to shake her head to get out of this weird trance.

'I've been good.' She gulped, coming back to her senses. 'How come you're in France?'

'We did Durmstrang last year, this is one of the last schools on the list.' He explained. 'I can't believe you're here.' He Grinned. 'Wait, why are you all here?'

'It's a long story, mate.' Lloyd chuckled. At that moment, A woman as tall as a tree stepped out onto the grounds. She was approaching them at a rapid speed.

'Madame Maxime?' Saoirse asked when the woman was close enough. 'We've been sent here by Headmistress McGonagall.'

'Oh, Minerva.' She exclaimed happily. 'were izz she?'

'Well, that's what we want to talk about.' Diane stated. 'Could we have a moment of your time?'

'Very well.' She said as she motioned for Saoirse and Diane to follow her. The others were left standing near an impressive statue of a winged horse.

Diane saw them immediately turn to Ezequiel, probably filling him in on all that had happened.

Saoirse and Diane were led through beautifully polished corridors and decorated staircases before being led into an office with a ridiculously high ceiling and a huge window that looked out onto the mountains beyond.

'What izz it you've come to tell me.' She asked after sitting down behind her desk.

'One of our professor's has gone er- rogue?' Diane tried explaining. 'He's a vampire who gathered an army of giants and werewolves and took over Hogwarts mere hours ago.'

Madame Maxime burst into laughter and had to blink away some tears. 'Oh mon Chéri, how funny you are.' She laughed. 'But I don't have time for zee jokes.'

'No Madame, what she saying is all true.' Saoirse said. She took the compass out of her pocket and showed it to the headmistress. 'He wanted this. He even threatened to kill us to get it.'

The headmistress face turned serious in an instant. 'la boussole de désir.' She gawked at the object. 'Who izz this teacher that wants zee compass?'

'Professor Otis Whitelock.' Diane and Saoirse said in unison. Madame Maxime's eyes seemed to fill with understanding. 'Of courze.' She mumbled.

'I knew this man, a very long time ago.' She explained. 'He wanted to teach at my academy, you see. Back then the laws were different, and I turned him away becauze he was un vampire. But also becauze something about him felt... not right.'

'McGonagall said that you would know what to do?' Diane questioned. Madame Maxime stood up and straightened her back. 'I will do what muzt be done. You will all stay here in the safety of mon Académie.' She said.

'Let us come with you.' Saoirse offered. 'we can fight.'

'You are very brave, mon Chéri.' The headmistress smiled. 'But I can not let you put yourself in harms way.'

'Isn't there anything we can do to help?' Diane questioned. She was not one to throw herself into dangerous situations, but she didn't want to just sit here and do nothing either.

'If you insist.' the large woman sighed. 'I first met Mr. Whitelock in a village on the south coast, called Salon-de-Provence. It izz the only place I know he lived for a time. Start there, and try to get az much information on him az you can. I'm sure that will be doable, with the compass.'

The girls nodded and trailed behind the giantess, being led back out to their friends. 'I will see to it that zee students of Hogwarts come to no harm.' She assured. 'Bonne chance on your travels.'

Diane and Saoirse quickly explained to the others what the headmistress had tasked them with.

'Ezequiel, come with us.' Diane pleaded. 'We could use your travel experience.'

'I'd love to, D. But I want to fight.' He said. 'I want to help Hogwarts, you were all so kind to me when we visited.'

Once again Diane had to say goodbye to one of her best friends. They hugged for a long while and although Diane didn't want to let go of him already, she had to. They waved as he ran to catch up with the other students that were of age and wanted to join the fight.

Several students came running up to the six teens before they left, carrying rucksacks filled with food, money and other necessities. They got offered some spare uniforms, but kindly declined. They didn't think hiking would be particularly comfortable in sheer blue dresses and trousers. Instead, they planned on buying some clothes in the first town they passed through.

Their first stop was Salon-de-Provence. Once again, they partnered up and apparated. The town was fairly quiet, seeing as it was around seven in the morning by now. They stood on a narrow cobblestone street lined with small yellowish houses which seemed pasted to one another. As they neared the town square, there were several older people setting up small stalls with local products.

Diane approached a stall filled with clothing racks and politely asked the lady if they could buy some of her goods. they all bought regular cheap jeans and whichever blouses or sweaters fit them. Diane thought her outfit looked quite nice, she bought dark blue jeans combined with a simple white blouse. It was rather awkward as they all stood hidden away in a small side street, undressing and putting on decent clothes.

'What are we supposed to do now?' Lloyd asked. 'Look for some vampire droppings?'

'Just follow the compass again, I guess.' Lysander shrugged. 'Seems to be our only option.'

Saoirse took a deep breath and seemed to force her mind to focus on their current objective. Get whatever info on Whitelock they could. From this point on, apparating was no longer a choice. They'd just have to follow the compass and trust in its capability.


	31. Taxing travels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mention of alcohol, underage drinking

## TAXING TRAVELS

They traversed through small villages, patches of green grass and wooded areas. Moving more inward toward wherever the compass was leading them. It was very peculiar, traveling without a real destination. They didn't know what the compass was leading them too. It could be another person, a building, or something so subtle as a photograph. All they knew, was that it was surely leading them toward more information on their teacher-turned-vampire.

When they traveled through the occasional town, they were sure to stock up on food and water. Because they never knew just how long they'd be removed from the next village.

Whenever night came, They would either hire a room in a cheap inn and all cramp in the same small bed to save up as much money as possible, or, they would just camp outside on the cots they'd been provided with back at Beauxbatons.

Today, they'd been hiking through the countryside. The vast expanse of hillsides and fields were filled with cattle and hay rolls. As night approached, the group settled on an empty field underneath a row of tall olive trees.

Lysander lit up a small bonfire using incendio before handing around his water flask. Diane accepted the bottle and took a big gulp, only to realise it wasn't actually water.

'What the hell is that?' She asked, searching for her own water flask to rinse out her mouth.

'Chateau Le Grand Moulin.' Lysander stated, taking a second sip himself. 'Cheap French wine.' he further explained as everyone looked at him confused.

'Pass the bottle.' Lloyd sighed, taking a few sips himself. 'How did you even buy that.'

'Look older than I am, I suppose.' he shrugged.

As the bottle was passed around, Diane noticed Saoirse seemed rather absent in the conversation. She sat away from the rest, staring at the fire and fidgeting with her fingers. Diane decided to approach her.

'You okay?' She asked as she took a seat on Saoirse's cot. 'You seem distracted.'

'I'm just worried.' She sighed. 'About Cassia and my parents.'

Diane immediately felt a tight knot forming in her stomach. She remembered the scream and bright green flashes she'd seen coming from the place Zabini and Cassia had been duelling Whitelock. She didn't have the heart to tell Saoirse any of this. Besides, she wasn't even sure Cassia'd been harmed at all. Though no doubt the green flashes had been the killing curse, It could've missed, or been fired at someone else.

'They'll be okay.' She said, trying to convince herself of this as well. 'I'm sure Madame Maxime will have informed all your parents by now as well.'

'What about your parents?' Saoirse asked, looking up at her.

'They probably still think I'm at school.' Diane explained. 'They never know what's happening outside of their own little world.'

'I'm sorry.' Saoirse said, leaning her head on Diane's shoulder. 'We care for you. You know that, right?'

'I know.' Diane said, leaning her own head on Saoirse's. 'I care for you all too.'

✰✰✰

The next day, they refreshed and headed deeper into the countryside. As evening started to near, they approached one of the larger villages they'd come across. Normally, there was only some local shops and a restaurant or two. But this town had a huge town square that housed several restaurants as well as bars and shops.

Roxanne proposed they hire a room here for the night, in a cozy little hotel located in one of the side streets leading to the town square.

The lobby of the hotel had a very rustic look. Some plants adorned the walls and tables. It looked much like a combination between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor common room, Diane thought.

'Bonjour, can we have one room for the night s'il vous plait?' Diane asked an elderly lady who stood at the desk. She'd come to find that most people here understood English well enough, but she still wanted to show off her ability to speak some French anyway.

The lady kindly led them to a room on the second floor after taking their money. The teens all settled inside. Lloyd immediately plopped down on the bed. 'Who gets the bed tonight?'

'Looks like you've already decided that yourself.' Lorcan chuckled. 'I'll sleep on my cot, slept in the bed last time anyway.'

'Roxy, care to join me?' Lloyd asked, patting the place next to him while wiggling his eyebrows.

'No thanks.' Roxanne stuck out her tongue playfully. 'Lys, why don't you take the bed tonight.'

'Gladly.' Lysander plopped down next to Lloyd, throwing his arms around the other boy and making smooching noises. 'We'll have our fun, won't we Lloydy.'

'I'll need some more of that cheap wine.' Lloyd sighed, giving up on trying to wrestle out of Lysander's grip and playing the little spoon.

'It's only 7pm.' Diane said, looking down at her watch. 'What do we do now.'

'You know what, I'm feeling like playing a game.' Saoirse said. 'We've been sulking from place to place for the last week, I want to do something fun!'

'Alright Mrs. Finnigan-Thomas, I like the spirit.' Lysander grinned. 'Anyone have any suggestions.

'How about Kiss, Mary, kill?' Lorcan suddenly proposed. Everyone looked at him for a long while, not believing something like that had just come out of his mouth. 'What? I also have a life, you know.'

'The Hufflepuffs get up to some nasty stuff, huh?' Lloyd chuckled.

Everyone settled in a more comfortable position as Lysander started passing around his bottle of cheap wine once again.

'I'll go first.' Roxanne said after passing the bottle to Diane. 'Lloyd. Kiss, Mary, Kill er- Diane, Saoirse and me.'

'Oh c'mon.' Lloyd groaned. 'That's not fair, you're all in the room!' But his pleading gaze was dismissed as everyone kept waiting for an answer.

'Alright, but don't get mad okay!' he sighed 'Kiss Diane, Kill Saoirse and Marry Rox.'

'I said don't be mad!' he pleaded after the girls all stayed quiet. 'Don't worry Lloyd, I would kill you too.' Saoirse grinned, giving him a sly wink. After which they all burst into laughter.

'Alright Saoirse.' Lloyd began, slightly offended by her revelation. 'Professor Patil, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sinistra.'

'Easy.' Saoirse said. 'Kiss Patil, Kill McGonagall and marry Sinistra.'

'I'm sure your dads would be pleased to hear you are willing to snog one of their best friends.' Lorcan teased.

'Diane.' Lysander called. 'Ezequiel, Albus and Parker.'

'Er- Kill Albus, Kiss Ezequiel and Mary Parker.' She confessed, already turning red.

'And what if I throw myself in there?' he grinned mischievously.

'You know I'd always snog you, Lys.' Diane grinned. 'Your turn. Remi, Scorpius and Lloyd.'

'Kill Lloyd - sorry mate - kiss Scorpius and marry Remi.' he stated.

The game went on for a little longer, Lysander already procuring a second and third bottle of wine out of his backpack and passing them around.

'Do you hear that?' Lorcan questioned, going over to their small window and peering outside. 'There's people partying out by the bars.'

'Let's go!' Lloyd and Saoirse exclaimed at the same time, the alcohol no doubt already doing its thing.

'Isn't that a bit too dangerous?' Diane questioned. 'What if one of Whitelock's goons is out there?'

'Oh c'mon Diane. In a remote village like this?' Lloyd countered. 'We'll be fine. Let's have some fun for once. I feel like we deserve it.'

Lysander downed the last of the wine before taking Diane's hand and pulling her outside with the others. When they approached the bars, the atmosphere seemed extremely joyful. People were dancing inside and on the streets, music playing loud enough to enjoy even from a distance.

they excitedly made their way into one of the most crowded bars, Taking up some spots at the back around a small table. 'Let's dance!' Roxanne shouted over the loud music.

She, Lloyd and Saoirse immediately left for the dance floor, enjoying themselves immensely and their legs a bit wobbly from the wine. Lloyd and Roxanne danced extremely close to one another, not caring in the slightest about people seeing them together.

'I guess I'll go too.' Lorcan finally stood up after trying to ignore Saoirse motioning for him for the last five minutes. His face lit up as the petite girl took his hand and twirled herself around.

'He's not falling for Saoirse, is he?' Diane asked Lysander, the only one remaining seated.

'God no.' he laughed. 'I don't think Lorcan falls for anyone to be honest.'

'Let's dance.' Diane suddenly stood up. Lysander looked amazed at her brashness. 'Alright Albury, that's what I like to hear.'

The two joined their swaying friends, moving to the rhythm of the music. After a good ten minutes however, Lysander looked positively dreadful.

'What's wrong?' Diane shouted. To which he motioned to go outside.

Diane followed the boy to a bench that stood in the cover of darkness on the other side of the square, the music of the bar they'd vacated could still faintly be heard.

'Are you alright?' She again asked as she took a seat next to him.

'I just miss them.' He sighed, looking up at the night sky. 'All this enthusiasm and joy made me think of The Weasleys and the Potters and just everyone we left behind at Hogwarts.'

'Hey, look at me.' Diane said. 'We did what we had to do, okay? Don't you dare blame yourself for this.'

'I just can't help but feel responsible, though.' he looked down at his hands. 'If I had been able to give the ministry more information about the person who put me under the curse, they would've caught Whitelock before any of this could happen.'

'Lysander, none of this is your fault.' She again assured the boy. 'Whitelock would've tried something anyway. He's powerful, he'll do whatever he wants.'

'Yeah, you're right.' he sighed. 'But I could've brought Remi with us.'

'It was too late for that, anyway.' Diane said. 'I thought about going back for Parker, you know. But we just didn't have the time.'

'So you're finally admitting you have a big fat crush on Parker Pucey.' He grinned. He was back to his old self, Diane thought.

'Yes. Happy now? I have an enormous crush on Parker Pucey.' Diane sighed. 'I kind of feel... Never mind.'

'No No, Can't back down now. Tell me.' Lysander teased.

'I feel like I don't have enough experience.' She bit out, turning red in the face once again.

'I can help with that.' Lysander shrugged. 'I've got loads. What do you need to know?'

'Just... kissing?' Diane said. 'I haven't even kissed anyone before.'

'I'll show you how it's done.' Lysander said, standing up and pulling Diane up with him. 'For educational purposes only.'

'Of course.' Diane smiled. She'd always thought Lysander was handsome, but she could never fall for him. And she was sure he felt the same way about her.

'Alright. first, you do this.' He brushed his hands over her arms in a downward motion, taking her hands and placing them around his neck, bringing his own hands down and grabbing her waist ever so tighly.

'They always love it when you stare deep into their eyes for a good while.' He said, not releasing her gaze for even a second. Diane decided to indulge him, and stared back into those perfect blue eyes. 'And also when you do this.'

He brought his hand up to her face, slowly brushing some stray hairs away and putting them behind her ear, caressing her cheek afterward.

'Then, you just-' He slowly brought his face closer to hers, their lips only mere inches away, sharing the same breath while nearly touching. His gaze flickered between her eyes and lips.

'And lastly.' he breathed, finally bringing his soft lip down on hers. He pulled her closer to his body with the hand still placed on her waist, deepening the kiss further.

After a good while, he unlocked his lips from hers and his gaze trailed down to her neck. 'And if you want to go further,' He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. 'You do this.' He bent down, placing kisses on the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder.

Diane started giggling and leapt out of Lysander's arms. 'that tickles.' She laughed.

'You're welcome.' He grinned. 'Thank you for being my first kiss, Mr. Scamander.' She mockingly said.

'I'm good, aren't I.' He stated, a smirk still splayed on his lips.

'And that is why I would never fall for you.' She rolled her eyes, smiling.

The two went back into the bar, where Roxanne had already fallen asleep on Lloyd's shoulder and Saoirse laid face down on the sticky table.

They heaved the two girls down the street and up the stairs to their shared room. Where they all immediately fell into a deep sleep.

✰✰✰

The next morning, they got up early once again and resumed their trek throug the countryside. None of them spoke, since they all had splitting headaches. Diane swore she would never drink again.

At the end of the day, Saoirse led them through the narrow streets of yet another quaint village. This was one of the smallest they'd traveled through up until now.

Saoirse stilled as they stood in front of a huge rusty gate, green plants overgrowing everywhere, suggesting that it'd been a long time since anyone had opened it.

'What now.' She asked. 'We can't just step foot into someone else's property.'

Lloyd had already started climbing the gate as to get on the other side of it. 'Why not?'

'Someone could live here, Lloyd.' Diane exclaimed. 'I don't think they'd appreciate six teens suddenly appearing in their front yard.'

'by the looks of this gate, no ones been here for ages.' Roxanne countered. 'I say we take a look.'

Lloyd presumed his climbing, but Lysander simply reached out and pushed on the gate. Which budged immediately, Lloyd hanging on for dear life as it creaked open.

They followed the long driveway, which was surrounded by trees and thick bushes. Until finally they stood in front of a huge mansion. Some of its windows were broken, plants overgrowing everywhere. Despite its dilapidated exterior, there was still something charming about it.

Roxanne knocked on the door a couple of times, but no answer came. Again, Lysander stretched out his arm and pushed on the door. It creaked open much like the rusty gate had done.

'Hello?' He called out. 'Someone here?' His voice echoed loudly throughout the parlour of the mansion.

Its extremely dusty interior was enough to confirm their suspicions. This mansion had been abandoned a long time ago.


	32. Lorcan's pov

I just wanna see how beautiful you are  
you know that I see it  
I know you're a star  
Where you go I follow  
No matter how far  
If life is a movie  
Then you're the best part.

It's the sunrise  
And those brown eyes, yes  
You're the one that I desire

\- Best part , Daniel Caesar feat. H.E.R -

## LORCAN'S POV

_**The Mansion, week one.**_

The teens carefully treaded inside the huge entry hall of the mansion. From the ceiling dangled an enormous chandelier, covered in dust and cobwebs much like the rest of the furniture.

'Look.' Saoirse said, holding out the compass in front of her. It's pointer was spinning around inside the glass. 'I guess this means we'll find information on Whitelock here.' She carefully tucked away the object and proceeded to gaze at the grand staircase and large paintings lining the walls.

'Who do you suppose lived here?' Lorcan asked, amazed by the fairly intact nature of the furniture.

'Don't know.' Lysander said, swiping his finger over the surface of a low standing coffee table. 'They haven't been here in a while, that's for sure.' He declared as he wiped the dust now collected on his finger on one of the sofas.

'Lads, come take a look.' Lloyd said, already having climbed the stairs to the second landing. The teens ascended the staircase and strutted over to where Lloyd was standing. 'Look at the amount of rooms.' He smiled, pointing down the hallway. 'No more cramping together in one tiny bedroom.'

'Wait, you actually want to sleep here?' Diane asked. 'In someone else's home?'

'Why not?' Lysander shrugged. 'As much as I love you guys, I'm in dire need of some privacy.' He said while examining the inside of different rooms.

They all claimed a room for themselves, Lorcan taking one of the smaller ones. The bed in his room was still perfectly made, as if it was waiting for its inhabitant to return any day.

They all met up again after dropping off their stuff in their designated rooms and began forming a plan of action.

Saoirse and Lorcan would be the ones to go into town regularly to gather food and water. As well as trying to get some information from the locals on the mansion.

Roxanne and Lloyd would keep busy with searching the grounds that surrounded the mansion, which were extremely vast. Lastly, Diane and Lysander would search the home itself from top to bottom.

✰✰✰

The first three days went by much the same. Waking up, accompanying Saoirse on their daily walk through the village, trying to speak to some of the locals.

Sadly, not much information had come out of this. Half the villagers ignored their whole existence, refusing to speak to them as if scared. The other half seemed nice enough, but didn't understand English all that well.

On the third day, Saoirse was buying some water from a local shop while Lorcan stood waiting outside. He was leaning against the wall, deep in thought about their vampire teacher, when a small shop caught his attention.

Behind the window, lay different sorts of pastries and bread. The sign above the door read Boulangerie, which Lorcan assumed meant bakery. It could very well be his growling stomach, but he felt very captivated by the smells of freshly baked cake and pies wafting over to him.

He looked over his shoulder at Saoirse, who was busy trying to explain something to the shop owner, before strolling over to the small bakery. When he opened the door, a small bell signalled his entrance.

There seemed to be no one inside, so he took his time admiring the different kinds of goods laying splayed out before the shop window.

'Bonjour, comment puis-je vous aider?' A female voice sounded from behind him. He whirled around to see a young girl standing behind the register, she looked not much older than him and had the most beautiful hazel eyes.

'I er- Je ne parle pas er-.' He cussed under his breath while rubbing the back of his neck, searching for the right words to say.

'It's okay.' The girl giggled. 'I speak English.'

'Oh.' Lorcan let out a breath of relief. 'Thank god.' He smiled.

'What can I get for you?' She smiled politely. 'We don't get a lot of tourists around here.'

'I'll have six of those.' he said, pointing to a basket that read pain au chocolat. 'It's kind of a long story how I ended up here.' He laughed, blushing at the attention.

'If you meet me here at seven tonight-' She started packing some of the delicious smelling pastries in a paper bag. 'You can tell me all about it.'

'Oh, okay. I'll be here.' he smiled broadly, handing her some coins before turning away. 'Oh, my name's Lorcan.' he said as he opened the door.

'Charlotte.' She smiled, watching Lorcan exit the store.

Just as he made his way over to the opposite side of the cobblestone street, Saoirse emerged holding several glass bottles of water.

'What are you grinning about?' She teased on their way back to the mansion.

'Nothing.' He said, turning incredibly red.

✰✰✰

That evening, Lorcan snuck out of the large house after having a rather plain dinner of canned beans and dry bread. On his way to the bakery, he plucked a single red rose out of a bush on the side of the road.

When he arrived at precisely seven in the afternoon, Charlotte was already waiting for him outside the bakery.

He approached her with a big smile and handed her the single rose. 'For you.'

'How charming.' She teased, smiling. 'Let's take a walk.'

'How come you're so fluent in English?' Lorcan questioned, trying to get a conversation started as soon as possible while they strolled through the streets of the small town.

'I've always been interested in languages.' She explained. 'I've made a hobby out of perfecting several different tongues. I know it sounds boring, but I really enjoy it.'

'No no, that's not boring at all.' He countered. 'I wish I was that passionate about something.'

'Haven't you got a hobby you enjoy? or a subject in school you really like?' She asked.

'I guess I like working with uhm... animals.' He said, trying his best to not reveal anything about the wizarding world.

'Where are you from?' She asked. 'I like your accent.'

'From England.' He again felt a blush creeping up his neck. 'How come you asked me out tonight?'

'Because I thought you were handsome.' She smiled. 'And I could use some company. I live with my grandparents, and though I love them to death, You can probably imagine the kind of activities we get up to.'

'What's an activity you want to do, then?' He asked. 'One you can't do with your folks.'

'Promise you won't laugh?' She asked, to which Lorcan shook his head. 'I've always wanted to go skinny dipping in the town's lake.' She chuckled when she looked up at Lorcan's flabergasted expression. 'Sorry, I don't even know why I told you that. You're practically a stranger.'

'Let's do it.' He suddenly said, not quite believing he did so himself.

'What? Now?' She looked up at him with a worried expression. 'But it's winter.'

'Lead the way, madame.' he teased, sketching a small bow.

An expression of mischief graced her face as she took Lorcan's hand in hers and sprinted down the street, reaching the small lake in no time.

'I can't believe we're about to do this.' She chuckled. 'Turn around, Lorcan.' She grinned when she saw Lorcan staring at her. He quickly turned around, hearing Charlotte undress. 'We're keeping our underwear on, right?' He called out, his back still turned to the girl.

'Whatever you want.' She called back. He heard her approach the lake, making hissing sounds as she treaded in the water. 'It's really cold.' She called out. 'You can turn around now.'

Charlotte was almost fully submerged in the dark water of the lake, the only things visible her head and part of her shoulders.

He undressed quickly, though he'd also be keeping his underwear on for good measure, and approached the lake. 'Bloody hell, that's cold.' He cussed as he entered the dark waters.

'Don't be a baby.' Charlotte laughed, splashing him with water as he swam next to her, his teeth clattering. But he too could play that game.

'What's that?' He said, pointing at the water behind her.

'What.' She exclaimed as she whirled around. Lorcan came up behind her and playfully pushed down on her shoulders so she was fully submerged.

He laughed, until she wouldn't come up. 'Charlotte?' He called into the waters below. His panic started to rise as he looked around the lake and found no sign of life. 'Oh god.'

Then he heard splashing noises behind him and was pushed down below the surface himself. As he came back up, Charlotte was howling with laughter.

'I thought I'd drowned you.' Lorcan exclaimed, basking in the sound of her laughter.

'I haven't had this much fun in a long time.' She admitted, combing her hair out of her face with her fingers. 'Thank you, handsome stranger.'

'You're very welcome.' he mockingly said. 'It's weird. We only met each other a few hours ago, but I feel like I've known you for years.'

'I feel the same way.' She said, swimming closer to him. Lorcan took in her beautiful face under the white glow of the moonlight, staring into her gorgeous hazel eyes.

'I've never felt this way with anyone else.' He said, their bodies drifting closer together.

'Tell me what you feel.' She nearly whispered, gazing into his eyes.

'I- I feel happy.' He started. 'And, I feel like I can't get enough of you.'

Charlotte softly placed her hands on his shoulders. Lorcan felt goosebumps all over his body, but they were not from the cold.

Their faces hovered extremely close together, lips nearly touching.

Just when Lorcan thought they would finally connect, he heard someone laughing heartily from the edge of the lake. He whirled around to see Lysander standing there, clutching his stomach from laughter.

'What the hell.' Lorcan exclaimed. 'What- How?'

'I thought you'd been kidnapped, mate.' Lysander laughed. 'What a fun surprise we have here.'

'I'm so sorry Charlotte.' Lorcan sighed. 'That's my twin brother.'

Charlotte's confused expression softened. 'Oh, that makes sense.'

She swam to the edge of the lake, gracefully getting out as if she was not just dressed in her soaked underwear. She walked over to Lysander and held out her hand. 'Charlotte, nice to meet you'

'Very nice to meet you too.' Lysander smirked, looking the girl up and down while shaking her hand. 'How did you do that, dear brother?' he turned to Lorcan after he'd quickly put on his clothes, slinging an arm around his shoulder.

'I'm sorry, Charlotte.' Lorcan groaned, his gaze fixed upon the grass beneath his shoes. 'I- I'll leave now.'

'Wait.' She said, grabbing him by the arm. 'When do I get to see you again?'

'You- you want to see me again? After this?' he asked, motioning to his smirking brother.

'Of course, Lorcan.' She giggled. 'His cocky attitude won't scare me off. I'll see you around, handsome stranger.' She smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek and running up toward the village.

'Come on, loverboy.' Lysander grinned, waiting for Lorcan to join him on his way back to the mansion. 'I'm starting to really like French people.'

'Of course you would.' Lorcan grumbled. 'How did you know I was gone?'

'I wanted to check if you were alright.' Lysander shrugged. 'Just because I don't act like it, doesn't mean that I'm not actually worried about you.'

'Thanks.' Lorcan smiled halfheartedly. 'Though you really did ruin the moment.'

'Sorry about that.' He smiled. 'I'll try my best not to make an entrance next time. Though, I can promise nothing.'

✰✰✰

The next day, Lorcan and Saoirse got some very useful information from one of the villagers.

They learned that the mansion was previously owned by a young engaged couple. Though nobody saw them very often, they tended to keep more to themselves. The elderly woman also told them she was just a toddler when the couple left the mansion. It has been abandoned ever since.

They immediately went back to the mansion with this news, excited about finally having found something. The searches of the house and its grounds remained fruitless for now.

At the end of the first week there, they once again stopped at a local store to buy some water. This time, Saoirse hung back outside while Lorcan went in.

He asked for trois bouteilles d'eau, a sentence he'd memorised by now. In the corner of his eyes, he saw another figure browsing the goods.

He found it weird to see another teenager in the town. The only one he'd seen this far had been Charlotte. When he handed the man a couple of euros, he turned around and almost let the bottles drop in amazement. 'Parker?'

The girl turned around and her expression immediately matched his own. 'Finally.' She exclaimed. 'I've been searching for you guys for ages.'

As the two exited the store, they were met with a very similar expression from Saoirse. 'Parker? How?- What?'

'I'll explain everything later, I need you to bring me to the others.' She abruptly said. the two teens led Parker up to the mansion.

When they entered, Diane was just on her way down. She stilled on the staircase, gazing at Parker. 'Wha-.' Before she finished her sentence, she ran down and flew in the girls arms.

'How did you get here?' Diane asked, looking toward Saoirse and Lorcan, who both shrugged.

'Listen, the minister for magic sent me.' Parker started explaining. 'I apparated out of Hogwarts before the spells prohibiting it became intact again. I've been bothering the minister every since, begging her to give me your locations. I knew she had to have at least an inkling of where you guys where, since you've been practising magic outside of school while being underage. As soon as she gave me a location, I came to search for you, although she forbade me from doing just that.'

'I was so close to giving up too. Thought I'd never find you, but then I saw Lorcan.' She said.

'What's happening over there?' Lorcan asked.

'Nobody can get in or out of Hogwarts.' She said. 'The ministry's gathered enough forces to battle Whitelock and his giants, but they won't do it until they're sure the students are safe. I overheard Madame Maxime explain what you guys were doing, and I was tired of sitting on my ass, so I came looking.'

The rest of the evening was spent catching up and they gave Parker one of the rooms in the hallway on the second floor.

✰✰✰

_**The Mansion, week two.**_

Days and days went by, but Saoirse and Lorcan didn't get much more information out of the locals. It seemed as though a lot of them never even knew about the abandoned mansion that stood hidden in their own town.

On one of the last days of the week, Lorcan decided to take a stroll through the quiet streets once more.

'Hi there, handsome stranger.' He heard someone say. He looked around to see Charlotte smiling down at him from a small balcony on the second floor of a building. 'Stay there.'

Seconds later, she exited the house and joined Lorcan on his stroll. 'So, what are we doing today?'

'You tell me.' Lorcan smiled. 'I didn't prepare for anything.'

'I know a place.' She smiled as she once again took his hand in hers and walked him toward the edge of the town.

She led him to a large willow tree, where she sat herself down on the grass in its cool shade. Lorcan sat down next to her, supporting his weight on his elbows and stretching his long legs out in front of him.

'How come you came to this village?' She asked after a while.

'Would you believe me if I said my friends and I were running away from a vampire.' He said. To which Charlotte chuckled. 'Okay don't tell me then.' She looked up at him. 'When are you leaving?'

'I don't actually know.' He admitted. 'Depends on a lot of things.'

'Am I one of those things?' She said, staring into his eyes.

'Do you want to be?' He asked, his body starting to heat up.

She turned to look at the sky, a small smile splayed on her lips. 'I feel good when I'm around you.' She confessed. 'I don't want you to go.'

'I wish we could've met under other circumstances.' He said, laying down on his side, facing her. She did the same, once again their faces were mere inches apart. 'I would've taken you out on a real date.'

'Yeah?' She asked. 'And what else would you've done?' She didn't look away from his eyes for one second, and neither did he.

'I would've bought you flowers.' he started. 'We would've gone on fun dates. I would've put on my best clothes.' he smiled. 'And when the time was just right, I would've-'

'You would've what?' She whispered, her gaze flickering from his eyes to his lips.

'I would've done something like this.' With all the confidence in his body, he leaned forward and put his lips on hers. It was wonderful and scary at the same time, he didn't have much experience, but being with her made him feel comfortable and utterly relaxed.

he felt her hands go up to his hair, pulling him closer. It only lasted for a few seconds, when suddenly her presence was gone.

He opened his eyes, and before him stood Whitelock. He was holding Charlotte by the hair, yanking her head back.

'Lead me to your friends, boy.' He spat. 'Or I'll have to get rid of this one.'

Behind Whitelock, several other gruffy looking people emerged, a look of fury and excitement mixed on their faces.

Without an other word, Lorcan started the climb up to the mansion. He felt extremely guilty, but he knew he had no other choice. Whether he gave Whitelock the location or not, he'd find it either way.

Soon he stood before the large doors. He creaked them open carefully, Whitelock and his followers standing close behind.

When he looked inside, the terrified faces of his friends stared back at him and Whitelock.


	33. Roxanne's pov

She said, I was seven and you were nine  
I looked at you like the stars that shine  
In the sky, the pretty lights  
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us  
Growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled  
And rolled their eyes and said oh my my my

\- Mary's song, Taylor Swift -

## ROXANNE'S POV

_**The mansion, week one** _

The teens had entered the mansion carefully, only to find it abandoned. Lloyd and Lysander had convinced them all to stay and sleep here.

Roxanne had quickly chosen a room, the one situated next to Lloyd's. The walls were covered in a faded pink wallpaper with some sort of floral design. She didn't really care for it much, but she did like the double bed that stood in the middle of the room.

After this, The teens had discussed who would do what during their stay. Lloyd and she had been tasked with searching the grounds of the mansion, sounded easy enough.

The first few days went by without much new revelations. Except Saoirse and Lorcan finding out that the house had belonged to a young engaged couple. Roxanne didn't dare think of the mysterious circumstances under which the couple had abandoned the home.

They were now about five days into the first week. Diane and Lysander doing their best to search ever corner of the huge mansion.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and her went on their daily stroll through the garden. The grounds of the castle were divided into three parts. They'd been searching every corner of the left part for the last week, but to no avail.

'The middle part today, I suppose?' Lloyd asked, standing next to Roxanne.

'Sure.' She said before starting to walk down the overgrown path.

'I thought everything would be a bit more adventurous.' Lloyd sighed.

'Is running away from school and gathering information on your vampire teacher not adventurous enough for you?' Roxanne countered, teasing him.

'Well, when you put it like that.' He smiled.

They spend the most part of the day looking around, trying to search for something mysterious. Roxanne'd come to find it was extremely difficult to search for something you knew nothing about. What were even the chances of finding some big piece of information out in the gardens.

When the evening neared, it started raining heavily.

'Should we go back to the mansion?' Roxanne drawled, holding her jacket over her head since it didn't have a hood.

'No, look.' Lloyd said, pointing toward the very back of the garden. There stood a large glass conservatory, overgrown with plants much like the rest of the house.

The two sprinted for the cover of the greenhouse. Lloyd held open the door as Roxanne barrelled inside.

'Woah.' She gushed as she took in the interior. It was filled not only by plants and flowers, but also large trees and several small tables and benches. 'This is like a whole new garden on its own.'

'how come everything has been abandoned for years, but these flowers are still blooming.' Lloyd remarked as he plucked a white tulip out of a pot.

'What if... what if the owners were wizards?' Roxanne concluded. 'That would explain the perfect state of the furniture, and of these plants.'

'That's possible.' Lloyd said. 'The owners could've placed spells on everything, to keep it intact.'

'One tiny piece of information, after treading through these gardens for nearly a week.' Roxanne sighed, sitting down on one of the benches. 'I feel like we're getting nowhere.'

'I know.' Lloyd said, taking a seat next to her. 'But at least you get to spend more time with me.' He teased.

'True.' She chuckled. 'I miss you.'

'What do you mean?' He asked, turning to fully face her. 'I'm right here.'

'I know you are.' She smiled. 'I just miss the way things used to be between us.'

'How so?' Lloyd asked.

'I can't help but feel like everything has changed.' She said, facing him too. 'I know you feel it too.'

'I'm not sure I'm following.' Lloyd smiled, furrowing his brows in confusion.

'Well-' She began, scooting closer to him. 'You can't tell me you feel nothing when I do this.' She said, placing her hand on his thigh, drawing circles with her thumb.

'Or this.' She went on, placing her head on his shoulder. 'When we were younger, we did whatever we wanted. Now, it just feels different.'

'Does that have to be a bad thing?' He asked, placing his hand over Rox's. 'I've always felt something when i'm around you, Rox. And every year you got more beautiful, those feeling got ten times worse.'

'There's always been this unspoken thing, hasn't there.' Roxanne asked, touching the red ruby of the necklace she had gotten from Lloyd back in their first year.

'I think you know the answer.' He said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

When the rain stopped falling, it was already late in the evening. Lloyd and Roxanne made their way toward the mansion, climbing the stairs silently as to not wake anyone.

At last they came to a stop in front of their adjoining rooms. When Roxanne was about to enter, Lloyd started speaking.

'Rox, I...' He started, standing in front of his own room.

'Yes?' She nearly whispered, adrenaline coursing through her when she thought of what he could say.

'I...' He again tried, but he quickly gave up. 'Good night, Rox.' He smiled a sad smile before entering his room.

'Goodnight Lloyd.' She said back before entering her own room.

The next few days flew by in a haze. Somehow, Parker Pucey had found them. Roxanne didn't know the specifics, but she was grateful for any news concerning Hogwarts.

It seemed that their search for information on Whitelock was more important than they originally had thought.

✰✰✰

_**The mansion, Week two** _

Lloyd and Roxanne spent the next few days roaming through the middle part of the garden, going back to the conservatory to see if they'd missed something.

'I'm exhausted.' Lloyd sighed, heading back to the mansion for the evening. 'You'd think I'd have more stamina thanks to all the staircases in Hogwarts.'

'I told you, if you'd just follow my quidditch training schedule you'd be back in shape in no time.' Roxanne chuckled.

'So you're suggesting i'm not hot enough?' He gasped, looking affronted.

'Please.' She shoved him with her shoulder. 'You're the hottest guy in Hogwarts by far.'

'I'm very happy with that answer.' He smiled. 'You're the most beautiful girl in the whole of England.' He whispered in her ear.

'Only England?' She teased.

'Alright, alright.' He drawled. 'The whole world, how does that sound?'

'Hmm, better.' She joked, pressing a kiss to his cheek before making her way inside.

They ate a quick dinner before lounging in the abnormally large living room. Saoirse had found a pack of playing cards hidden away in a dusty drawer, Roxanne was now trying to explain a muggle card game to them.

'No, if you have the ace of spades you win.' She explained for the fifth time.

'But it's a one? Surely king goes over a one.' Lloyd tried reasoning.

'No it doesn't.' Saoirse stated, slamming down her ace of spades. 'I win!'

'Good job, babe.' Roxanne said, high-fiving the girl. 'Better luck next time Lloyd.'

'I'm off to bed.' Saoirse yawned. 'Good night you two.'

'Night.' They both said in unison.

'Fancy another game?' Roxanne asked, not tired yet in the slightest.

'No thanks.' He smiled, standing up and walking around the living room.

Roxanne leaned back in the sofa, watching Lloyd go from dresser to dresser. He pulled open each drawer and cabinet in the hopes of finding something else to do.

'Bingo!' He called out, pulling a dusty looking object out of a cabinet and putting it atop the dresser. Roxanne stood up to look at his most recent discovery.

'No way.' She gushed. 'A record player.'

He ducked down again and pulled a heavy looking box full of records out of the drawer, placing them next to the player.

'Man, these people had a horrid taste in music.' He said as he browsed through the records. 'Ah, I know this one.' He pulled out a yellow looking record titled 'At last ! - Etta James'

He put down the record and did whatever you need to do to get such a thing started. When the song began, Lloyd gave a laugh of relief. 'I can't believe it still works.'

'Milady.' He said, holding out his hand.

Roxanne gladly took it. Her other hand rested on his shoulder. Lloyd carefully placed his other hand on her hip. She couldn't help but giggle as they swayed across the room, letting Lloyd fully guide her.

Their pace became slower after a while. Roxanne couldn't help but gaze into his eyes as he pulled her closer. He interlaced his hands behind her back, their body's touching.

'God, you're so beautiful.' He exclaimed, staring into her eyes.

'Lloyd, I-I...' She wanted to tell him that she liked him. A lot. That she'd liked him from the very start. But he brought his finger to her lips, shushing her.

'Merlin, where do I even start.' He sighed. 'Rox, every time I look at you, I feel like I can't breath. Everytime I see you, I feel my heartbeat rise. You just...make me happy.'

'Rox...' He pulled her even closer to him. 'I'm in love with you.'

She stared at him for a good while, before saying, 'I'm in love with you too.'

And then finally, she did what she had been wanting to do for two whole years now.

She kissed him.

✰✰✰

The next few days were pure bliss. Anytime the two found a moment alone, they'd start snogging again. And seeing as they were alone a lot, not much else was done.

One of the last days of the second week, the two were walking through the third part of the garden, their fingers interlaced. When suddenly they came upon a deep well.

'What was that thing the muggles do again?' Lloyd asked. 'Throw coins down a well and make a wish, right.'

'I'm not sure.' Roxanne admitted. 'How about we make a wish without wasting our money.'

'Alright.' He said, leaning forward and closing his eyes. Making a big show of the whole thing. He opened one eye to look at Roxanne. 'Stop staring at me and make a wish.' He teased.

She mimicked his movements. I wish... I wish my friends live a long and healthy life. She thought. And I wish Lloyd and I will live happily ever after. She didn't know just how many wishes she was allowed to make, but she was happy with these two.

'What'd you wish for?' She asked, linking her arm through his.

'Something consisting many healthy babies.' He joked.

'what's that?' Roxanne asked, pointing to something shiny at the bottom of the well.

The two leaned over the edge, trying to figure out wether their eyes were playing tricks on them. But the glistening thing looked a lot like a necklace.

'Take this.' Roxanne said, handing Lloyd a small bucket while tying a rope around its handle. Lloyd slowly let the bucket down, trying to fish out the locket.

It took him a few tries before the necklace fell into the bucket. He heaved the bucket up and cleaned the necklace with his sleeve.

'It's a locket.' Roxanne said, examining the object. As she turned it around, there was a small encryption. Ouvert quand tu te sens perdu.

'Let's get this to Diane.' Lloyd proposed.

They ran toward the house. Diane, Lysander, Parker and Saoirse stood in the entrance hall, chatting.

'We found something!' Roxanne called out. The others immediately huddled over the locket.

'It says, open when you feel lost.' Diane translated. 'Where did you find this?'

'At the bottom of a well.' Lloyd explained. 'Anyone care to open it?'

But before they could answer, the front door creaked open. Lorcan came into view. And to their greatest horror, Whitelock stood right behind him.


	34. Diane's pov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence

I must've been through about a million girls  
I'd love 'em and I'd leave 'em alone  
I didn't care how much they cried, no sir  
Their tears left me cold as a stone  
But then I fooled around and fell in love

\- Fooled around and fell in love , Elvin Bishop -

## DIANE'S POV

_**The mansion, Week one** _

The teens quickly got settled into the mansion. The room Diane'd chosen to sleep in seemed quite snug at first, but after the first night she quickly realised that the window wasn't sealed properly and there was a constant draft.

For the first few days, Lysander and Diane strolled from room to room. Searching in every drawer and cupboard, turning over every portrait and photograph. Diane was amazed by the different amount of rooms and their purposes. There was an enormous library, a drawing room as well as an office and a locked room they couldn't seem to enter no matter what they tried.

They tried magic, Lysander even resorted to trying to break in the door with a rusty axe they'd found laying around. But the door would't budge, so they let it be just that for now, a secret room.

Diane was laying in her bed that night, thinking about different methods they could try to get inside, when Lysander suddenly burst into her room.

'You won't believe what I just witnessed.' He laughed, plopping himself down on the edge of her bed.

'Lysander!' Diane exclaimed. 'Ever heard of knocking?' She quickly pulled the sheets up to her shoulders.

'Oh, c'mon Diane.' He chuckled. 'There's nothing I haven't seen before.'

'Fine.' She said, trying to maintain her angry tone. 'Go on, then.'

'So, I was on my way to Lorcan's room when I noticed he wasn't there. I thought he'd been kidnapped or something, so I went into town to try to find him and-' He burst into laughter again. 'H-he was skinny dipping with some random French girl.'

'What?' Diane exclaimed, grinning. 'Our Lorcan? Skinny dipping?'

'I know, right?' He laughed. 'Couldn't believe my eyes. It's a hot girl too, Next time I'll have to ask him for some advice.'

'As if you would need advice.' She scoffed. 'You can already get literally anyone you want.'

'Still not over our little make-out sesh, huh?' He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. 'Shut up.' Diane laughed, throwing her pillow at his face.

'Alright, alright I'll leave.' He drawled, holding up his hands in surrender, backing out of the room. 'Have fun dreaming about me.' He winked before slamming the door shut.

Diane smiled to herself, shaking her head in disapproval before dropping it back down onto her pillow. Just a week ago, she couldn't even bare the thought of anything romantic happening between her and Lysander.

However, She couldn't help but feel like that had changed after their practice-kiss. She found herself thinking of him more and more, of his lips on hers, his arms around her waist.

Another stupid crush that wouldn't ever lead to anything, she thought. Besides, their friendship meant too much to her. She wouldn't ruin all those years together because of some stupid infatuation.

✰✰✰

The next day, Lorcan and Saoirse informed them that they'd learned the mansions had belonged to a young engaged couple. Though this wasn't exactly the biggest revelation, at least they'd solved one tiny piece of the mysterious puzzle.

Today the two were going through the library again, feeling like they'd missed out on something. Besides, there could be a hidden message or any other sort of info in one of the hundreds of books.

'Are you going to go through every single book in here?' Diane drawled, taking a seat in one of the armchairs scattered throughout the room.

'Got something better in mind?' He asked, giving her a sideway glance.

'Have you tried Revelio?' She asked

'Yes.'

'Aparecium?'

'Yes.'

'I don't know Lys.' She sighed. 'All seems like a huge waste of time.'

Suddenly, Lysander let out a loud gasp. Diane immediately sprang up. 'What?'

'No way.' He drawled, shoving a photograph in Diane's face. 'Recognise someone?'

'It's- It's Whitelock.' She took the photograph in her hands. In it, stood a younger and less scarred version of Whitelock. He was beaming with happiness and had his arm slung over the shoulder of a younger woman, who looked equally as happy. An engagement ring shone brightly on her ring finger and around her neck, she wore a golden locket.

'So the engaged couple that used to own this house.' Diane thought. 'They must've been Whitelock and his bride.'

'Now that's a big piece of information.' Lysander said, gazing at the photograph. 'Aparecium.' he mumbled, holding his wand against the suface of the photo. And soon enough, a message appeared on its backside. memoriae aeternae

'Can't these messages ever be straight-forward.' Diane sighed. 'I've had enough for today.'

They ate a quick dinner and vowed to think about the hidden message the next day. Diane was exhausted from all the searching and probing.

She quickly retired to her room and put on a night dress she'd bought in one of the villages they'd passed through.

Sadly, Diane couldn't seem to find sleep that night. Her mind kept spinning with their latest discovery, and the icy draft coming through the window really didn't help. She got out of bed and silently treaded over to Lysander's room, where she knew the temperature would at least be bearable.

'Lys?' She whispered as she stuck her head through the half opened door to his room. 'Are you up?'

'Now I am.' he grumbled, rolling over on his side to face the door. 'what's wrong?'

'I'm cold.' She whispered, rubbing her arms. Maybe a night dress hadn't been the smartest clothing choice during a cold winter night.

'Come here.' He said, scooting over and holding open the duvet. Diane quickly made her way over to the bad, sliding under the blankets with her back turned to the boy.

Lysander slung an arm over her body, pulling her closer. She curled up against him, enjoying the warmth of his body. 'Better?' He asked, his breath tickling her neck. She nodded and closed her eyes.

She was about to drift into a peaceful sleep, when she suddenly felt Lysander's heartbeat quicken. She tried to stay as still as possible when she felt his lips softly touch her shoulder.

'Lys...' She whispered as he started trailing soft kisses from the top of her shoulder up to her neck. 'What are you doing?'

There was a moments silence, before she heard him roll over on his back, sighing loudly. 'I don't know.'

Diane sat up and turned to face him. 'I-, Lysander we can't do this.' She whispered, searching his eyes for answers.

'I don't know why I did that.' He confessed, rubbing his hands over his face. 'I just...'

'What?' She asked.

'I can't get you out of my head, Diane.' He softly spoke. 'I shouldn't have kissed you last week, I've made a mess of things.'

She considered his words for a while, wanting to confess her own feelings. But ultimately, she thought it'd be best for both of them to just forget it all happened. 'I- I have to go.'

She quickly got out from under the covers, making for the door. When she was about to shut it, she glanced back at Lysander for a brief second. He was facing the wall, and Diane could swear she saw his eyes tear up.

The next day, the two tried to ignore the whole ordeal. Lysander was back to his own sarcastic self and Diane decided to simply bottle up all of her feelings.

They were searching the office on the second floor, when Diane decided to get some water from the kitchens downstairs. As she was making her way down the staircase, the front door opened.

She stilled at once, staring into the eyes of Parker. 'Wha-' was all she could make out before running down and embracing her in a tight hug. 'How did you get here?' She asked, glancing toward Lorcan and Saoirse.

Parker began her explanation of her sudden arrival, by the end they were all seated in the living room, chatting and catching up. She showed Parker to an empty room where she could soundly sleep for the night.

'I've missed you.' The girl confessed as she sat on the edge of the bed. 'I was scared I'd never see you again.'

Diane softly smiled and sat down next to her. 'I missed you too.'

Parker bundled up her hair in a bun, revealing more of her neck, where Diane could clearly see the outlines of a scar. A scar she'd given parker during their brawl on the quidditch pitch in their second year.

'Oh my god.' She whispered, bringing her hand toward Parkers neck, slowly trailing the white outline of the scar with her finger. 'I never did apologise for that, did I.'

'It's okay.' She smiled. 'I never apologised for the awful things I said either.'

'I'm sorry.' Diane Whispered.

'I'm sorry too.' Parker said, cupping Diane's cheek with her hand. The two stared at one another for a long while, Diane letting her head rest against Parkers' hand.

'Uhm, I- I'm going to go to bed.' Diane cleared her throat, standing up. 'Night, Parker.'

'Night.' The girl said before Diane closed the door, leaning against the other side of it. What am I doing? She thought. In her whole life, not one single person had shown any interest in her. And now two of her crushes did, at the same time no less.

✰✰✰

_**The mansion, week two** _

The next few days, Parker joined the search around the house. This arrangement felt like torture to Diane, who tried to stay as far away from either of the two as possible.

One late evening, Diane left her room in search of a snack. Their dinners mostly consisted of canned goods and the occasional French bread. She was in dire need of some chocolate.

As she crept down the stairs, she could hear music playing. It was slow music, old music. She silently approached the source of the sound, and saw Roxanne and Lloyd dancing together.

A smile immediately spread on her face. She wanted to go back upstairs to give them some privacy, but she had been waiting for the two of them to get together for ever.

'Stalker much.' Someone whispered in her ear. She whirled around to see Lysander crouched down next to her.

'Jesus, Lys.' She whispered. 'Don't do that.'

He just chuckled silently and kept watching a swaying Roxanne and Lloyd. The two were talking now, dancing really closely together.

'How much do you want to bet that they won't kiss tonight.' He whispered.

'Two galleons says they will.' Diane whispered, thinking back of the time they'd bet on their two friends exactly like this back in first year. The two shook hands and waited for the scene to play out.

Lysander gasped silently as Roxanne brought her lips to Lloyd's, finally kissing him.

'About damn time.' Diane mumbled, holding out her hand to receive her galleons from Lysander. When nothing happened, she turned to look at him. He was staring at her, his expression as serious as it had ever been. 'We need to talk.'

'Lys, you're scaring me.' She whispered as he took her hand and lead her to an empty room, shutting the door behind them.

He carefully approached her, stopping several inches away. 'I only need to know one thing, Diane.' He said, not a note of sarcasm in his voice. 'And if you say no. I'll leave you alone and we can forget any of this ever happened.'

Diane slowly nodded. 'Do you have feelings for me?' He asked, his eyes locked onto hers.

Diane opened her mouth a couple of times, trying to find the right words. She wanted to say no, she wanted him to leave her alone and have this awful knot in her stomach be gone for good. But deep down, she knew he'd always been the one. He had always been there for her when she needed him, he'd always been kind and thoughtful. She didn't want to pretend anymore.

'I want you, Diane.' He said, his gaze burning holes right through her. 'But if you say no, I understand.'

'Yes.' She finally whispered. 'I have feelings for you.'

Lysander didn't hesitate a second. He crashed his lips down on hers, pulling her close. The most amazing feeling echoed through Diane's body at his touch.

They stayed in that room for a long while, forgetting the rest of the world. In this moment, There was only them.

✰✰✰

One of the last days of the week, Diane suddenly had a revelation. She ran down the hall and burst into Lysander's room. 'The sentence on the photograph.' She panted. 'What if it opens that one secret room we've been trying to get into.'

He jumped out of bed, hair sticking out at all ends. 'You're a genius, Albury!' He exclaimed, cupping her cheeks and kissing her. 'Let's go.' he said as he grabbed the photograph that had the inscription on the back.

Diane felt herself blush deeply as she trailed behind him, making their way to the locked room. Standing before it, Lysander uttered the words memoriae aeternae. The lock on the door clicked open at once, revealing the room behind it.

The inside was extremely dark, The only sources of light were weird floating orbs. They had a light blue shine and floated slowly through the room. Lysander and Diane walked inside, gazing at the weird lights. 'What are those?' She asked.

'I don't know.' Lysander said, reaching out and carefully touching one. At once, an apparition shot out of the orb. It filled the room with its white light.

Two translucent people came into view, chatting to one another, only there was no sound to be heard. It almost felt like they were watching a silent movie.

The people were Whitelock and his bride, Diane now realised. The two were walking down a path, chatting. Then, Whitelock got down on one knee and asked the girl something. She nodded, smiling widely, and Whitelock placed a ring on her finger. Just as fast as the apparition had appeared, it disappeared again. The room was once again engulfed in darkness.

Lysander reached out and touched a second orb, out of which a new scene emerged. Whitelock and his bride were now walking around in the very same mansion they were currently standing in. They were furnishing the place, looking extremely happy. Whitelock motioned his bride over and made her close her eyes. he then placed a locket around her neck, the same locket she was wearing in the photograph. After that, the scene disappeared once again.

After touching a third orb, the scene became more dark itself. It showed someone breaking into the house, stealing every valuable they could find. The thief entered the master bedroom, where Whitelock and his bride lay sleeping. He pulled out a sliver knife, and plunged it into the bride's chest. Whitelock instantly woke up and began screaming, although Diane and Lysander couldn't hear a sound. Then the scene was gone and everything went dark again.

'Woah.' Lysander gulped. 'That was awful.'

'I guess that's the reason he's acting out.' Diane said, her hands trembling from watching that horrifying scene.

Lysander quickly noticed how uncomfortable she was, he took her hands in his, trying to calm her down. 'Hey, it's going to be okay.' He assured her.

Diane nodded solemnly and hugged him tightly. After a while, she looked up at him and saw him smiling. 'You're adorable, do you know that.' He smiled. She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him.

in the middle of their kiss, she heard someone clearing their throat from outside the room. When she turned around, Saoirse and Parker stood in the door opening.

She quickly entangled herself from Lysander, blushing furiously. Saoirse gave her a knowing grin. 'I'll just leave you to it.' She giggled before turning away.

'Well, this is awkward.' Lysander said, looking between Parker and Diane. 'I'll just er-' He quickly made his way out of the room, following after Saoirse.

'I-I don't know what to say.' Diane sighed, looking down at the ground. 'I'm sorry.'

'You've got nothing to be sorry for.' Parker smiled. 'He's a catch.' They both chuckled before falling into silence again.

'I'll just have to get over my crush, then.' The girl said, fidgeting with her fingers.

'On Lysander?' Diane asked, starting to feel more nervous.

'On you, dummy.' She smiled.

'You had a crush... On me?' Diane exclaimed. 'Parker, I've had a crush on you for years. I never could've thought you felt the same way.'

'Well, doesn't matter anymore, does it.' She looked away, a sad smile gracing her lips. 'You've found your person.'

'Yeah, I have.' Diane said. 'And you'll find your person too. It just isn't me.'

The girls shared a friendly hug before joining the others in the entrance hall.

They were in the middle of a chat, when Roxanne and Lloyd came running up to them. They'd found the locket Whitelock's bride was wearing in the photograph. It's encryption said Open when you feel lost.

Just as Diane was racking her brain about all the possible things this could mean, the front door creaked open to reveal Lorcan. Only he was not alone, Whitelock stood behind him smiling menacingly.


	35. Forlorn finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: violence, death

## FORLORNE FINALE

The teens stared back at Whitelock, their bodies locked in fear.

Lysander firmly grabbed Diane's hand, his eyes looking from his terrified twin brother to the vampire.

'Bring them.' Whitelock motioned to the greasy people standing beside him. His werewolves.

They entered the mansion and approached the five of them. The teens stepped back, trying to think of a way to get out of this. But they all knew, there was no way out.

A female approached Lloyd and Roxanne, the former holding Roxanne close to his body. The werewolf grabbed the two by the arm and apparated on the spot.

On their left, the exact same thing happened to Saoirse and Parker. Followed by Lorcan moments after until only Lysander and Diane remained in the mansion, facing their former teacher.

Lysander faced Diane, his expression of worry and fear did little to settle her unrest.

Whitelock reached out and forcefully grabbed them. As they apparated, Diane held the golden locket clutched tightly in her hand.

As her feet met solid ground, she looked around to see they were back in the place she'd called home for the past six years. Hogwarts.

'Had your fun hiding from me, didn't you.' Whitelock sneered, circling the teens like a vulture waiting for its meal.

'Despite your constant need to hinder my plans, I'll try to remain civil.' He said, standing still and facing them. 'You give me the compass now, or you will all meet the same fate as your beloved potions teacher.'

'What did you do to him?' Lloyd dared to ask, his voice shaky and his hand still entangled with Roxanne's.

'Why, killed him of course.' He smiled malevolently. 'I am done playing your pathetic little games. Compass, now.'

As Saoirse's hand went to her pocket to retrieve the object, Lysander made a sound that sounded a bit like a sneeze. Diane noticed his wand was subtly pointed toward her hand which held the locket.

She felt the object expand slightly, it's oval shape transforming into something rounder and heavier.

All eyes were on Saoirse as she felt around in her pocket. Her brows furrowed in confusion when she didn't feel the round form of the compass but the chain fastened to the golden locket.

'I have it!' Diane blurted, trying to keep Saoirse from revealing anything. She carefully opened her hand, in which now laid the bronzen compass.

'Give it here, girl.' Whitelock snapped, snatching the object out of her hand. He started smiling in earnest as he held it in his hands. 'Finally.'

He slowly opened what he thought was the compass when suddenly its shape transformed back to that of the locket. His expression changed to fear as he made to close it, but it was too late.

'A switching spell.' Diane thought aloud. 'You're a genius, Lys.'

An apparition shot out of the locket at once, much like the ones they'd seen back in the secret room. This one took on the form of Whitelock's dead bride.

'You've gone astray, my love.' She said in a hollow voice, approaching Whitelock. The man fell down on his knees as he gazed into the eyes of the woman he had so dearly loved.

'No, no I promise I'll do better.' He pleaded. 'Please.'

'You once promised me your life of harming others was in the past.' She said, caressing Whitelock's scarred cheek with a transparent hand. 'I vowed to stop you if you did not keep that promise.'

'No, no, no.' Was all Whitelock could make out as his eyes began tearing up. 'I'll be better, I promise. Everything for you.'

'I once loved you with all my heart Otis.' She smiled softly. 'But you are no longer the man I knew before. That man is gone.'

The apparition raised her arms and clenched her fists. At the same time, Whitelock fell on his side, clutching his chest.

'You...' He whispered, fury shining in his eyes as he stared at Diane while he laid dying. With his last strength, he yanked Diane down by the arm and bit down on her neck.

After this, his grip on her arm grew weak. When he finally let go, the light in his eyes went out. He was finally gone, and so was the apparition of his once beautiful bride.

As the werewolves saw what had become of their leader, they immediately apparated, leaving the courtyard empty except for the teens

Diane scrambled away, bringing her hand to her neck. She immediately felt her blood begin to pump. Her hands started trembling and she suddenly felt like she had a high fever, sweat beading on her forehead.

As the other teens ran toward her, she collapsed and hit the ground.

'What's happening.' Lorcan panicked. 'What did he do to her.'

'I-I don't know.' Lysander ripped off a part of his sleeve to stop the bleeding. 'Diane, stay with me.' He said as he pulled her onto his lap, brushing the damp hair away from her forehead.

'Go get someone!' He yelled. 'A teacher, anyone!'

Lloyd, Lorcan and Parker immediately sprinted into the castle, screaming for help.

Saoirse knelt down beside Diane, taking ahold of her hand. 'You'll be okay.' She sobbed as tears ran down her cheeks.

Diane felt her eyelids growing heavier by the second. She tried to stay awake. She thought of Saoirse's hand wrapped around hers, Lysanders hand caressing her cheek, Roxanne racking her brain for any spells that could help them. But all she wanted to do, was go to sleep.

'Look at me.' Lysander said, trying to get her attention as her eyelids started to flutter close. 'Don't you dare leave me.'

'I- I'm going to miss you guys.' Diane tried saying, her mouth felt incredibly dry. A weak smile appeared on her lips as she stared into Lysander's eyes. 'I love you.'

'No, No don't say that.' Lysander sobbed. 'You're going to be just fine.' He tried blinking his tears away, but they just kept falling. 'You're going to graduate. You're going to become an amazing healer. And- And we'll go live together, buy our own place and everything.' He smiled weakly, sniffling.

'I'd like that.' Diane smiled, her limbs becoming numb and finally closing her eyes

She faintly heard footsteps approaching her, people shouting her name. She heard her friends crying and Lysander's body underneath hers.

And then, everything went dark.

✰✰✰

1 week later...

Lysander looked at himself in the mirror. His hair had grown longer than it'd ever been, nicely accentuating his high cheekbones.

He wore a black suit, the same one he'd worn to Professor Fernby's funeral just last year.

'You alright?' Lorcan asked as he peeked into their shared bathroom.

'Yeah.' Lysander sighed, seeing the messily placed necktie dangling around Lorcan's neck. 'Come here, you idiot.' He chuckled lightly.

Lysander carefully knotted the tie before the two went downstairs to greet their mother.

'You both look handsome.' Luna smiled. 'Remember, the ones that love us never really leave us.' She said as she hugged her sons.

The three apparated to a small cemetery that lay on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The others were already there.

Roxanne and Lloyd held on to each other tightly, making small talk with some of the other Weasleys. Saoirse stood wedged between her dads, Cassia trailing behind while tightly holding onto her hand. Parker and her dad Adrian stood on the sidelines, chatting with Draco and Scorpius.

The day was somber, grey skies hanging low over the buildings of the small town.

He suddenly felt the warmth of someone's hand slide in his, squeezing once. 'How are you feeling?' A soft feminine voice asked.

Lysander looked down, meeting the green eyes of Diane.

'I'm okay.' He smiled softly, squeezing her hand back. The puncture wounds on her neck were still prominent against her stark white skin.

They picked up their white roses, laying them down on the memorial for the ones who lost their lives during the attack. Several names engraved in the grey stone made him tear up.

Josephine Remington  
Blaise Zabini  
Ezequiel Amezquita 

Lysander slung an arm over Diane's shoulder, pulling her closer as they left the depressing site.

'What happens next?' Saoirse asked as the teens were crossing the bridge over the high ravine that separated the school from its nearby rolling hills.

'I don't know.' Roxanne said. 'Back to school, acting like nothing ever happened?'

'I'm not so sure that's possible.' Diane smiled, her eyes briefly flashing red.

'I still have to get used to that.' Lloyd shuddered.

'What are you going to do with the compass?' Lorcan asked Saoirse, who held the object firmly in her hands.

She turned around with a smile on her face before pointing her wand at the relic and muttering 'diffindo'.

The compass broke clean in two. Saoirse walked over to the edge of the bridge and threw the broken parts into the depths of the ravine, never to be seen again.

She wiped her hands clean on her trousers and continued her walk over the bridge. 'Well, don't just stand there. We've got an education to complete.'

The teens burst into laughter before following the small girl to their second home. Ready to continue their adventure, together.

_**~ The end ~** _


	36. Epilogue

Sometimes in our lives  
We all have pain  
We all have sorrow  
But if we are wise  
We know that there's always tomorrow

lean on me  
When you're not strong  
And I'll be your friend  
I'll help you carry on...

For it won't be long  
Till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on

\- Lean on me , Bill Withers -

## EPILOGUE

After the events of their sixth year, the teens had a lot of healing to do.

Diane's vampire bite became a scar that would always remind her of those terrifying moments, where she thought she'd never see her friends ever again.

Luckily, she never did transition into a full vampire. She did take on several traits, like the red flashing eyes and a weird craving for rare cooked meat.

She became an amazing healer, just as Lysander had once said. He himself, became a professional Astronomer.

Lorcan returned to the French village they'd spent those weeks on the run in, and confessed his love to Charlotte. The two got married only months later.

Lysander, Diane, Lorcan and Charlotte decided to buy the grounds on which the grand mansion stood. Making the place their home and moving in together.

Cassia became a succesful curse-breaker & traveled around the world with Saoirse by her side. Once they were tired of this routine, they settled down in the same French village as the others, buying a small home not far from the mansion.

Lorcan and Saoirse started up their own little shop in this village, which was now attracting more tourists than ever before.

Lloyd became a well respected artist & Roxanne's dream of becoming a professional quidditch player also came true. Despite their extremely busy lifestyles, they always made time to visit their friends.

## ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Big thanks for everyone that read this story!

I want to give special thanks to Fem (sunflowervol97), Ani (aniance), Gigi (tangerinelia), Gabs (fredscalvert), Mafer (@GOLDEN22) & Narz (GREENDlOR ). Couldn't have done this without you guys, you always give me the motivation and help I need & I love you all so so much.

For those of you who read this on AO3:

There's character art of the main character in the story published on Wattpad (The progenies - LeeRice01)


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